Paula Abdul Leaving American Idol?

I find it hard to believe that Paula Abdul won't be back as a judge on American Idol.

Ryan Seacrest will be getting $15 million for the next three seasons.

Surely Paula is as important to the show as Seacrest is.

From the New York Times:

After weeks of negotiations with the producers of “American Idol,” Paula Abdul said Tuesday evening that she was leaving the top-rated singing competition.

“With sadness in my heart, I’ve decided not to return to #IDOL,” Ms. Adbul wrote on Twitter.

“I’ll miss nurturing all the new talent,” she wrote, “but most of all being a part of a show that I helped from day 1 become an international phenomenon.”

...Ms. Abdul’s contract expired at the end of last season, and she had been negotiating for a substantial raise from the estimated $2 million that she earned last year.

Ms. Abdul had said that she wanted to return to the show, and Fox Broadcasting and the show’s producers had said they want her back. Last week on Twitter she had written, “I hope you can understand I can only return to Idol if the deal is fair.”

Here's what Paula wrote on Twitter.

Twitter is so weird. But I digress.

I would think that the show's producers would do all they could to keep her. Paula is such an integral part of the show.

It's not as if Kara DioGuardi can replace her. American Idol will be incomplete without Paula.

I wouldn't be surprised if Paula is suddenly offered a deal that she does consider "fair." I really don't think this is settled.

It seems like a stunt to generate interest in the upcoming season.

FOX issued a statement:

In a statement, Fox and the show's producers said Abdul was "an important part of the 'American Idol' family over the last eight seasons and we are saddened that she has decided not to return to the show."

They said she was "a tremendous talent" and wished her the best.

That certainly sounds final.

Still, I have my doubts.