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American Idol host Ryan Seacrest took to his KIIS radio show this morning to say he was “stunned” by Paula Abdul’s decision to leave the show after eight seasons, adding that despite whispers to the contrary, Abdul’s abrupt departure is not a publicity stunt. As Rock Daily reported this morning, Abdul announced that she was leaving AI via Twitter after failing to reach an agreement with the show’s producers on a new contract.
“First of all, everyone that I passed today here has asked me, ‘Is it true? Is it a publicity stunt?’ As far as I know, it’s real — at this point, she’d decided to leave,” Seacrest, who recently signed a lucrative new deal with AI though he had a year left on his contract, said on his radio show. “So the news that Paula Abdul is leaving American Idol stunned me last night. She’s a dear friend, I love her to death, and it’s really sad that it’s come to fruition. I’m just bummed and I think if you were to talk to Randy or Simon they’d say the same thing. It’s just sad. It bums us out.”
Randy Jackson spoke to Us Weekly about Abdul’s departure, saying, “I am shocked. Paula is a dear friend and will be missed.” Season Eight champ Kris Allen posted on his Twitter, “We love you. Glad I was able to be a part of your last season on the show. You showed us so much love.”
Even though Abdul’s manager David Sonenberg previously said it seemed unlikely that Abdul would return to the show — he called producers “rude and disrespectful” during the negotiations — after producers locked up a new deal with newest judge Kara DioGuardi, they shifted their focus to Abdul. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Abdul was looking for a new contract in the ballpark ...
Article Source: Rolling Stone : Rock and Roll Daily