They were still in negotiations with her contract before, but now Fox is confirming that Paula Abdul will be leaving “American Idol”. Her replacement? Kara DioGuardi! Kara was the one supposed to be leaving the show but now she is staying and Paula is leaving. Abdul was upset because they were paying, in her opinion, a meager multi-million dollar wage and asked for $20 million more to stay on the show. She was further upset that Ryan Seacrest has just inked a $15 million deal with AI, more than she was making.

Fox and FreemantleMedia released the following statement:

“Paula Abdul has been an important part of the American Idol family over the last eight seasons, and we are saddened that she has decided not to return to the show. While Paula will not be continuing with us, she’s a tremendous talent and we wish her the best.”

So what do you think? Will American Idol be the same without Paula? Do you even care? Personally I think AI has been so desperate for ratings this might actually help them.