Nigel Lythgoe talks about leaving Idol

OK! magazine has a bit of the scoop from Extra when Nigel Lythgoe talked about his decision to leave the Idol phenomenon. The brain behind the show said, “It’s like giving birth to a baby and letting it go. Just talking about it is tough.”

Eyebrows are raised, of course, since this choice is right after American Idol pulled in its lowest ratings ever (which is odd for me, since this was my favorite season since season two), not to mention some of the controversy surrounding the show. However, Nigel claims that his decision is based on his desire to pursue a new venture with Simon Fuller, also of Idol fame. According to Extra, this was the only alternative since his schedule had him working around the clock, making it impossible to create anything new.

On the other hand, he is also behind So You Think You Can Dance and with its mega ratings this season, Nigel is staying put there.

I wonder what kind of changes we can expect from next season’s American Idol. Do you think the changes behind the scenes will affect anything for the viewers?

(source)