'American Idol' Producer on Shows Cancellation: ‘I’m Rather Pleased’
Former American Idol Executive Producer Nigel Lythgoe was on Meredith, and talked about the cancellation of what used to be the country's number one TV show. "I'm rather pleased that they decided to pull it, season 15. You know it's a bit like a heavyweight boxer. At some point, you know the young ones come up and start knocking you out,” the television producer said.
Lythgoe did point out how impactful the show was, commenting, "Well I think at one point we got 140 million telephone calls. And Ruben Studdard, to tell you the truth, with the amount of votes he got, should have been your next president." But jokes aside, Lythgoe believes the show, which he helmed for 14 seasons, will go down as one of the greatest of all time, admiring, "I think that this was the biggest television show, the most impactful television show, ever on television."