Ellen DeGeneres Is American Idol’s New Judge [Video]

Hm, you know, I totally did not see this one coming.

Starting January 2010, Ellen DeGeneres will be the fourth judge on “American Idol,” filling the seat left empty by Paula Abdul’s interesting departure.

Ellen made the historic announcement today on her daily talk show. I guess the whole thing was really top secret ‘cause not even people in Ellen’s inner circle knew. You can really see in her face how excited she is to be joining “American Idol.” It’ll be fun to watch her interactions with Simon.

…..DeGeneres will join Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson and Kara DioGuardi at the judges table after the auditions. She said in a statement, “I’m thrilled to be the new judge on ‘American Idol.’ I’ve watched since the beginning, and I’ve always been a huge fan. So getting this job is a dream come true, and think of all the money I’ll save from not having to text in my vote.”

“Idol” creator Simon Fuller said, “I could not be more excited to have Ellen join the ‘American Idol’ family. Ellen has been a fan of the show for many years, and her love of music and understanding of the American public will bring a unique human touch to our judging panel. I can’t wait for this next season to begin.”

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