Every Judge Who Left 'American Idol' & Why - Real Reasons Revealed!

Paula Abdul
(Seasons 1-8)

Paula, one of the original trio of judges, eventually felt it was time to leave by Season 8.

“The truth is, it was time for me to leave. I’d never had the same job for eight years. I felt that there were changes happening, and it didn’t feel like the same show. I needed to go back and do things I wanted to do, and being in that contract with the show didn’t allow me to do many things. It was a bold decision to make, but I will always have tremendous gratitude because it was a tremendous experience for me. I was a big part of history. And the show did change when I left. I would say to Simon, ‘You know the show ended when I left. You were still there for almost two more years.’ He’d say, ‘Oh, shut up.’ But it’s true!” Paula explained to EW in 2016.

Simon Cowell
(Seasons 1-9)

Simon, one of the original trio of judges, eventually left the show, and revealed he had a big issue with one of the rules: the age limit of 28 years old.

“How can you say, ‘You can’t be a star [because of your age]‘? And I found the word Idol obnoxious to be honest with you. And why isn’t a 35-year-old as great as an 18-year-old? I just got to the point where this is not real, which is why I move on [to the United States’ version of The X Factor and then finally America’s Got Talent],” he told Hollywood Life in 2019.

“I mean I still like the show, but I was lucky because I went through the purple period with the artists that I am still friends with now. And we have remained amazingly good friends, we speak, hangout and talk. So I had the good years!”