After one season with Ellen DeGeneres judging on American Idol, she is stepping down to focus on Greyson Chance, her record label (ElevenEleven) and discovering new talent.

Ellen DeGeneres started on American Idol this year when she replaced Paula Abdul who left at the end of last season.  When the announcement was made that Ellen would be coming to Idol, there was lots of talk about what she would bring to the table with no musical experience.  Ellen answered these critics early on saying, “Hopefully, I’m the people’s point of view because I’m just like you… I’m looking at it as a person who is going to buy the music and is going to relate to that person.”

Staying true to her word, Ellen realized that American Idol was not here scene.  Ellen said, “I let FOX and American Idol producers know that this didn’t feel like the right fit for me… I told them I wouldn’t leave them in a bind and that I would hold off doing anything until they were able to figure out where they wanted to take the panel next.” 

On June 1st GreysonChanceWeb reported that Ellen announced the grond breaking of her record label, ElevenEleven and signed her first artist, Greyson Chance.  With Ellen and Greyson now working together on his first album and Ellen’s quest to find the label’s next big artist, she said that her work schedule became too much.

Ellen said, “It was a difficult decision to make, but my work schedule became more than I bargained for. I also realized this season that while I love discovering, supporting and nurturing young talent, it was hard for me to judge people and sometimes hurt their feelings. I loved the experience working on ‘Idol’ and I am very grateful for the year I had. I am a huge fan of the show and will continue to be.”

 It’s great to see that Ellen is really concentrating on Greyson and her label!