FOX remains silent on the new “American Idol” judging panel, but insiders close to the show maintain that reports of a potential female judge being dropped due to unreasonable demands are not true.
Rumors broke earlier this week that talks with Jennifer Lopez, who had previously been reported as a ‘lock’ to join the show next season, ended due to unreasonable demands on her part. Lopez was, according to most outlets, expected to join Randy Jackson and Steven Tyler at the table next season.
“Don’t believe everything you read,” an “Idol” insider told Entertainment Weekly. “This may simply be a case of one diva’s rep slinging mud to make another potential candidate look like a diva. There are a million agendas swirling out there, and a lot of camps aren’t above using rumor and speculation to advance their causes.”
That is not to say Lopez is definitely still joining the show–FOX has not confirmed any judges for next year–only that a deal apparently did not fall through for ‘diva’ reasons.