( CNN ) -- `` American Idol '' lost two stars this week when judges Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez announced they would not be returning next season , but the hit Fox show could gain itself The Queen . Aretha Franklin , an 18-time Grammy Award winner who Rolling Stone proclaimed the greatest female singer of all time , told CNN in an e-mail Saturday that she is interested in joining the show as a judge . Franklin , 70 , who wowed the Essence Music Festival crowd last week in New Orleans and is now performing in Las Vegas , says she has long been a fan of the show . Now instead of watching it with the rest of America , she 's ready to play a vital role in choosing the next `` American Idol . '' And as the Queen of Soul would do , she 's already thinking about bringing along a sidekick : songstress Patti LaBelle . Fox declined to comment on Franklin on Saturday night . The addition of Franklin could help Fox stop the ratings slide of `` Idol , '' which saw it lose its spot as the top show of the year to NBC 's `` Sunday Night Football . '' The addition of similar singing contests to primetime television has increased the competition for viewers . Fox 's `` The X Factor '' recently added pop star Britney Spears after booting former `` Idol '' judge Paula Abdul and Nicole Scherzinger of the Pussycat Dolls . NBC 's `` The Voice '' -- `` Idol 's '' closest competitor -- has gained ground with judges Cee Lo Green , Adam Levine , Christina Aguilera , and Blake Shelton . CNN 's Jack Hannah contributed to this report .
Aretha Franklin tells CNN she is interested in joining `` American Idol '' as a judge . Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez announced this week they are leaving the show . Fox declined to comment about Franklin .