Jennifer Lopez is leaving "American Idol" at the conclusion of the talent show's current season, sources tell E! Online's Marc Malkin exclusively.
J. Lo has been dropping hints in recent weeks that her departure from the show could be on the horizon. Wednesday, in an interview on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," she said that, "I miss doing other things. It really does lock you down."
She has served as a judge on the Fox singing competition show for the past two seasons, but J.Lo is now taking on many other projects, including an international concert tour with Enrique Iglesias. The multi-talented entertainer hosted a Latin American singing competition show, "Q'Viva: The Chosen" with her estranged husband Marc Anthony this past TV season. She's also starring in the film "What To Expect When You're Expecting."
J. Lo has been expressing ambivalence about returning to "American Idol" since Season 10. In June of 2011, after her first season, she said to BBC1, "I haven't been forced to make a decision and I'm glad about that because honestly I'm very on the fence about it ... I had an amazing time doing it and I loved it but I have a lot other things happening, and it's going to come down to me making a choice of what I want to do for the next year and we're not really at the breaking point of 'You have to make a decision right now!' I'm just really enjoying the time of just waiting and seeing."
Of course, "Idol" producers were able to lure Lopez back for Season 11 with a rumored $20 million one-year deal, a considerable raise from her Season 10 contract, which was for $12 million.
A request for comment from Fox was not immediately returned.