American Idol executive producer Nigel Lythgoe has confirmed that he was fired from the singing competition he oversaw for more than a decade.
On Saturday the Emmy Award winning Brit tweeted, “[J]ust had 10 days in the Bahamas, rain everyday. I get back to the States and get fired. Sad!”
Lythgoe, who also acts as a judge and executive producer of So You Think You Can Dance, continued, “Monday we choose our top 20. I'll smile again.”
Lythgoe’s firing doesn’t come as a surprise. As we previously reported, after losing more than 10 million viewers this seasons, Fox hoped to revamp both the front of the house as well as the back which would include firing Lythgoe who has held the title of executive producer since the show began in 2002.
Randy Jackson announced his departure from the show prior to the finale. Mariah Carey and Nicki Minaj also announced that they would not return just weeks later. Keith Urban has not announced if he will return, but sources state that Fox hopes to revamp the judging panel by bringing back Idol alumni. Jennifer Hudson is said to be in the middle of a deal, while rumors that Adam Lambert, Clay Aiken and Kelly Clarkson will also return have not been confirmed.
Fox has seen quite the shakeup in previous weeks. E! News notes that president of alternative programing Mike Darnell has left the network after 18 years. Ken Warwick, also an Idol executive producer, has also opted to not return for season 13.
Following the Fox shakeup, Fox, FremanntleMedia and 19 Entertainment has released a statement to E! saying, “The passion and dedication that Nigel Lythgoe and Ken Warwick brought to AMERICAN IDOL guided the show to become a true cultural phenomenon.While we are saddened they will no longer be executive producers on the show, we are grateful for their tremendous contributions and look forward to continuing to work with them on additional projects."
Image: Fox