6:26 pm, July 13th, 2012
(FOX)
The back-to-back departures of Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez from “American Idol” within 24 hours was no coincidence, as FOX had established Thursday as the deadline for deals to be reached with the two judges, Gossip Cop has learned.
It appears that money may have been the stumbling block.
The Wrap is reporting that Lopez was dropped by FOX after asking for her salary to be raised to $17 million from a reported $15 million.
While that specific salary bump request has not been confirmed, Gossip Cop has learned from sources close to the situation that Thursday was considered a deadline for Lopez and Tyler to agree to financial terms with the network.
The deadline passed, Tyler and FOX jointly announced his exit from the program, and then Lopez confirmed her own departure in a call-in to Ryan Seacrest’s radio show on Friday morning.
Tyler stressed his Aerosmith commitments in explaining the decision to leave, while Lopez also emphasized the demands “Idol” made on an already packed schedule.
Randy Jackson is alone at the judges’ table (for now), with high-profile additions such as Mariah Carey being discussed.
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