Fox called her bluff: Paula Abdul will not be returning to American Idol. She posted the following on her official Twitter

With sadness in my heart, I’ve decided not to return to IDOL.

I’ll miss nurturing all the new talent, but most of all being a part of a show that I helped from day 1 become an international phenomenon.

What I want to say most, is how much I appreciate the undying support and enormous love that you have showered upon me

It truly has been breathtaking… I do without any doubt have the BEST fans in the entire world and I love you all!

I guess leaving Idol isn’t all bad for Paula. Now she can really get a good head start on hoarding buttons and playing dress up with her sixteen cats and hiding in the bushes so she can catch the neighborhood kids ringing her doorbell. Or whatever else it is crazy ladies do when they’re not in production on a hit TV show.

Although auditions for the ninth season of American Idol start August 6, long-time judge Paula Abdul doesn’t even have a contract proposal from the show’s production companies yet. Maybe they just didn’t offer it in pill form. According to the LA Times

“Very sadly, it does not appear that she’s going to be back on ‘Idol,’” [said] David Sonenberg, Abdul’s manager.

“I think unnecessarily hurtful,” he said of the contract holdup. “I find it kind of unconscionable and certainly rude and disrespectful that they haven’t stepped up and said what they want to do. I reached out to the head of business affairs at FremantleMedia and 19 Entertainment and told Fox that Paula would love to be on the show, [but] I have not received any proposal whatsoever.”

Representatives for Fremantle, 19 and Fox all separately declined to comment.

“She’s not a happy camper as a result of what’s going on. She’s hurt. She’s angry,” Sonenberg said. “I think at this point we’re going to be considering everything, including some kind of a competition show. She has tremendous ideas for a whole variety of shows.”

Boy, that “American Idol” is gonna rue the day, I tell you. Rue the day. Because where are they gonna find another judge who finds every contestant “stayed true to who they are” and “amazing” and “a breath of fresh air?” American Idol just shot itself in the foot. Well, metaphorically, of course. Not like that time Paula shot herself in the foot because she thought it was a musk rat. That’s just a unfortunate coincidence.

Some Hey Paula highlights plus various interviews where she’s high as a goddamn kite after the jump

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