You knew it was coming, but maybe Jennifer Lopez didn’t want to steal Steven Tyler’s thunder. Just one day after the Aerosmith frontman announced he’s leaving ‘American Idol,’ the lovable judge told Ryan Seacrest that she too will not be returning to the judges’ table.

In a lengthy (and at times, emotional) chat with Seacrest on his radio show, J. Lo told the ‘Idol’ host,

“It’s been a long process… I really have been torn… I fell so in love with the show. I never felt so much a part of a family with something, working on it, as I did with ‘Idol.’ It was such a lovely surprise in my life to do it, but you know, even last year, when I had to make the decision, it was super tough to decide.”

She explained that between her family life and other business opportunities, “Something [had] to give.”

Finally, we get a solid answer. The star has been tiptoeing around the subject for too long, always hinting that she “might” leave but never giving a solid answer despite the fact that so many sources close to Fox claimed that it was definite.

Lopez added that whenever ‘Idol’ needs her, she’ll be there — just not “every single day, all the time, the way we’ve been doing it the past two years.”

So, is Randy Jackson the next to go? Departure rumors swirled around all three judges, then Tyler announced his return to Aerosmith and now, within a day, Lopez has followed suit. At this rate, Jackson will be announcing his retirement from the panel tomorrow.

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