After 14 seasons, American Idol has been cancelled, according to published reports. The show will come to an end next year after their 15th season is over.
After its premiere in 2002, the show birthed stars like Fantasia Barrino, Ruben Studdard, Jennifer Hudson, Kelly Clarkson, Adam Lambert and Carrie Underwood. American Idol alum have raked in a total of 13 Grammys. Unfortunately, the show hasn’t scored any award winners or platinum selling artists in almost a decade, Rolling Stone reports.
The FOX show averaged 20 million viewers a week and hit a peak in 2006 with 31.6 million viewers tuning in on a weekly basis. The show’s rating began to drop due to constant changes at the judges’ panel in 2010, which started with Simon Cowell’s exit when he joined rival competition The X-Factor. Last season it averaged 10.3 million viewers and this season only nine million, according to CNN. NBC’s The Voice has also taken a toll of AI’s viewership as well.
Their final season has been billed as a “season-long celebratory event” as the judges embark on their search for the last American Idol star.