Jennifer Lopez Reveals Why She Almost Didn’t Return to ‘Idol’

Jennifer Lopez will be back at the “American Idol” judges’ table next season – but the decision to return wasn’t an easy one.

“I got a little bit tired at the end with everything going on in my life at the time,” says Lopez, who announced her split with husband Marc Anthony in July.

For the months following “Idol’s” May finale, speculation brewed about whether or not Lopez would re-sign. This week, Fox confirmed she’d be back with fellow judges Steven Tyler and Randy Jackson.

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At a news conference in Savannah, Ga., where the show has just started taping, Lopez said what ultimately convinced her was the realization that “Idol” was “one of the best things I’ve ever been involved with.”

“I was like, ‘Okay, I’m gonna do it again,’” she said.

For his part, host Ryan Seacrest was “relieved” to find out Lopez wanted in again. “I love her to death and I think that she fit in brilliantly. We need her role on the show,” he told The Hollywood Reporter.

According to Seacrest, Lopez “seemed in very good spirits” when shooting for Season 11 began on Wednesday. “She had shrimp and some sort of meat on her plate for lunch,” he colorfully noted. “She wore fuchsia.”