With ‘American Idol’ ratings in free fall, producers and Fox executives reportedly hatched a plan to replace Mariah Carey with former judge Jennifer Lopez.
Carey signed on for an eight-figure salary and, according to detractors, has demonstrated a “passive and disengaged” attitude while critiquing the talent.
The Hollywood Reporter is claiming exclusively that it was the threat of litigation by Mariah that put the skids on the dramatic scheme to give the show a much-needed boost.
That said, Carey’s rep denied the rumors. A Fox spokesman said, “This is just another ridiculous ‘Idol’ judge rumor, likely started by talks of Jennifer performing on the finale.”
‘Idol’ producer Nigel Lythgoe added, “I have not been included in any conversation regarding replacing Mariah with Jen this season.”
The 2013 episodes have seen the worst ratings since the show kicked off in 2001. The bleeding appears to be getting worse with each passing week. To demonstrate just how dire things have gotten, last week a repeat of the CBS series ‘The Big Bang Theory’ beat out the ‘Idol’ results show.
Tonight the Season 12 ‘Idol’ Top 4 will perform ‘One Hit Wonders’ — in case you’re a fan. Still “in it to win it” are Candice Glover, Kree Harrison, Angie Miller and Amber Holcomb.
Photos: Twitter-Idol, Twitter-Mariah Carey, Twitter-JLo