Bye Paula

And she’s out.

After much speculation, Paula Abdul and Fox have confirmed she will not return to American Idol next season.

“With sadness in my heart, I’ve decided not to return to Idol,” Abdul wrote on her Twitter page.

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

No reason was given for her departure, but the smart money is, well…on money. A source familiar with negotiations between Abdul and Fox said she walked away from a 30 percent raise and an eight-figure deal.

But that’s a lot of crazy pills, you say. (Allegedly.)

I guess we’ll never really know why Abdul’s calling it quits. Some of us don’t care either way – I mean, it’ll be sad not to see her get spoofed on all the funny shows – but it’s summer, a bit slow, and I just thought some of you may want to know.

Photo: JPNEarl.com.

Update 1: Click here for reactions from Ryan Seacrest, Randy Jackson, sixth-season runner-up Blake Lewis, Brooke White, a seventh-season contestant, and Jim Verraros, a first-season finalist, among others.

Update 2: Now click here to read what Kara DioGuardi had to say about Abdul’s move. Do you buy what she’s selling? That she wasn’t brough on to replace her?