Jason Merritt/Getty Images
Former American Idol judge Paula Abdul has publicly come out and addressed her departure from the show.
In an interview with TV Guide, Abdul says she didn’t leave Idol because of money.
“It's never...I stand on principle where many people stand on money,” Abdul said. “I'm a hard-working artist.
I've lasted in this business for 23 years. And you can't do that unless you are good at what you do. I believe in myself and you have to have your own self-respect. And sometimes decisions are very difficult to make, but I've always believed that at the core I'm a survivor.”
More than the money, Abdul will miss her fans the most.
“The fans all should know I adore, love, appreciate and respect how much they've expressed their outpouring of love and support for me,” Abdul said. “That's what keeps me going in lots of ways.”
Besides hosting VH1 Divas in a couple of weeks and a two-episode guest appearance on Lifetime’s Drop Dead Diva, Abdul would love to host her own talk show one day.
“Well, since there is talk about me possibly doing one I don't want to give the goodies away,” Abdul said. “I'd be Paula. It would be a lot of fun variety with a ton of unexpected stuff and tributes to everyday people getting their big chance.”
Before this interview I thought it was a matter of when, not if, Abdul would return to Idol. But now I’m not so sure. It appears that Abdul is content with leaving the show for good. After eight seasons serving as a judge, Paula looks like she’s moving on to bigger and better things.
Have we really seen the end of Abdul on American Idol or do you think both sides will come to an agreement between now and January?
