There were rumors that KELLY CLARKSON was the "first choice" to be a judge on the new "American Idol" . . . but that isn't happening.
Yesterday, Kelly announced she's going to be a coach on "The Voice". She'll be on Season 14 next spring, with Adam Levine and Blake Shelton. There's no word on the fourth coach. Jennifer Hudson and Miley Cyrus will be on the fall season.
So not only will she not be on "Idol", she'll be on its competitor at the same time.
Meanwhile, SIMON COWELL has taken himself out of the running as well. Last night, he said, quote, "I was asked to do it, and the answer is 'no.' I have no interest. My memories are when we first started. It was a different time with Randy [Jackson], Ryan [Seacrest], and Paula [Abdul]. You can't recreate that."
He also said, quote, "The last time I watched ['Idol'], it was not the same show, just the same name. I left for a reason and I never regretted that."
For what it's worth, there's a lot of talk that ABC is keeping "Idol" on a tight budget this time around . . . especially since the out-of-control salaries were one reason Fox ended the show last year. So, it's possible that Kelly and Simon just didn't like the money that was being offered . . . or maybe it never even got that far.
(Here's the video of Kelly's announcement)
1 of 1