paula abdul is leaving american idol

FOX hasn't made an official announcement yet, but Paula Abdul has announced on her Twitter page that she is leaving American Idol.

She says that she's decided to leave the show "with sadness in my heart." She also says that she loves the fan support, especially in the past month. Now we have to all speculate on what the show will do about a fourth judge, hire someone to replace Abdul or perhaps just go back to being a three judge show, with Kara pretty much taking Abdul's slot.

Of course, this could be the ULTIMATE negotiating tactic, actually announcing that you are leaving the show. Though if I was FOX (and if humans could indeed be TV networks), I'd be ticked if that was the case.

Update: FOX has confirmed that Abdul will be leaving the show and while they are "saddened," they wish her the best, calling her a tremendous talent.