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Ellen DeGeneres just quit American Idol.

DeGeneres is the second judge to leave the Fox talent show, just a couple of months following Simon Cowell’s departure after holding on to the judging post for nine seasons since the show’s conception. As for DeGeneres, her judging stint in “A.I” last season was her first, and now, her last as well.

Based on a statement by the daytime talk show host that was released by the network, she has informed the show’s execs of her plans to bid adieu months ago before the season finale in May, but decided that she “would hold off on doing anything until they were able to figure out where they wanted to take the panel next.” Based on her statement, it seems that the judging vacancies have already been completely filled.

DeGeneres is known to have a passion for discovering and giving ample exposure to raw and new talent as what she always does in her NBC daytime talk show “The Ellen DeGeneres Show”. In “Idol” however, not only is she tasked into tapping onto new talent, she is also required to criticize and while her form of critique is always positive and most of the time funny, she says that “it was hard for me (her) to judge people and sometimes hurt their feelings.”

“It’s not the right fit for me,” Ellen adds.

Meanwhile, rumors have swirled that the show’s fourth judge, Kara DioGuardi, has been axed as the creators try to go back to the original three-judge format as the show enters its 10th season.

And although “Idol” producers or even Fox execs would not confirm or deny the reports, “A.I” creators and executives are scheduled to appear at the Television Critics Association (TCA) forum on August 2 in which they are expected to reveal future show plans, among which is who will be occupying the empty seats next to Randy Jackson on the next season of the show.

Among the names that have surfaced as replacements for Cowell and DeGeneres are Aerosmith front man Steve Tyler and Jennifer Lopez.