The revolving door of Fox singing competition show judges continues to spin.
“The X Factor” judge Demi Lovato is leaving the series — while Harry Connick Jr. talked Thursday about his new judging gig on Fox’s “American Idol.”
Lovato, 21, confirmed in an interview after Wednesday’s performance show that she’s exiting Simon Cowell’s singing competition show after two seasons.
She’s set to kick off an arena tour on Feb. 9 to promote her latest album, and told reporters that she plans to dedicate 2014 “completely and entirely to music.”
Lovato and Cowell were the only two judges to return in the panel overhaul between Seasons Two and Three. She also appeared in a multi-episode arc on Fox’s “Glee” this season.
Cowell said on a conference call Monday that the show would be renewed for a fourth season (Fox has yet to confirm) but that “I might have a different kind of role” as part of more format changes for the struggling show.
“The X Factor” has been posting its lowest ratings yet in its third season, averaging 5.1 million viewers (its latest Wednesday episode was topped by NBC’s limited-run series “The Sing-Off”).
Meanwhile, Connick will join the “American Idol” panel alongside returning judges Keith Urban and Jennifer Lopez (back after a one-season hiatus).
On Thursday, he talked about his motivation for stepping in for Season 13.
“My life has been a lot of interaction with people who are better than I am. As I got older, I started to be on the giving end of those things. So I feel very comfortable in that kind of environment,” he said on a conference call with reporters promoting the Fox show’s Jan. 15 premiere.
“It felt like a natural thing to do, plus I love television, I love being in front of an audience, I love talking about music. It feels really good so far.”
Asked about the dynamic between the judges —which last season focused on dueling divas Mariah Carey and Nicki Minaj — Connick said he loves being on the panel with Lopez and Urban because each is the best in the business at what they do.
“We’re completely different,” he said. “I think what I bring to it is I have a lot of experience as a player, as a singer and as an overall entertainer that’s unique to my own life. So just by virtue of my own experience I think I can bring something a little bit different.”
Connick, who has served as a mentor on previous seasons of “Idol,” said neither star offered him any advice on judging.
“There wasn’t really any of that because they think I knew I was really familiar with the show,” he said. “It’s not rocket science, right? They sing we judge. It’s pretty easy.”
As for his judging style, Connick pledges honesty will be his policy.
“Sometimes you do have to give bad news and sometimes that’s the best thing these kids can hear is the truth,” he said. “Sometimes the performances are great and sometimes the performances are terrible and I would want to be told, or I I would want my friends or their children to be told the absolute truth. I think you can be diplomatic about it but you also have to be real.”
“You have to tell it like it is.”