Quick Links
These days, it seems like people very rarely speak about Paula Abdul which makes sense since it has been a while since she has been in the public eye. That said, it still is a shame that Abdul doesn't get talked about more. After all, she has led a fascinating life.
During the late-'80s and early-'90s, Abdul rose to international fame as a highly successful pop star. After that, there were some fascinating stories about Abdul's life including her claims she was in a plane crash and the time that Tina Fey called Paula out.
Despite how successful Abdul was as a singer and the wild headlines there have been about her, she still reached the zenith of her career when she was an American Idol judge. One of the show's main stars during the first eight seasons, fans were compelled by Abdul's relationship with her fellow judges Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson.
Given the role that Abdul had in American Idol becoming an absolute sensation, it is amazing to think she almost wasn't part of the show. After all, Abdul has revealed that she tried to quit American Idol eight times during the first day of filming.
Why Did Paula Abdul Try To Quit American Idol Over And Over?
Since Paula Abdul was such an integral part of American Idol early on, she has been asked to appear on the show several times since her tenure as a judge first ended. In 2016, Abdul appeared as a guest judge and around the same time she was interviewed by Entertainment Weekly.
During that discussion, the interviewer Nina Terrero asked Abdul about her first day working on American Idol. When she posed the question, Terrero almost certainly didn't expect to get such a headline-grabbing answer from Abdul. After all, Abdul went on to reveal how many times she tried to quit American Idol during the first day of filming.
According to Abdul, at the time of the interview, she had recently run into a crew member who worked on American Idol.
"A few years ago, this man came up to me and introduced himself and said, 'I was your sound guy on your first day at work at American Idol.'" From there, Abdul went on to reveal that while talking to that crew member, they revealed how poorly the first day went for Paula.
And I said, 'Oh wow. I feel bad, I must have quit a few times.' And he said 'Eight. You quit eight times.'" While it may sound hard to believe that Abdul quit that many times, she went on to explain why she came so close to walking out the door over and over again.
"I felt terrible for those kids. I would try to maintain composure in the midst of absurdity, and they were completely delusional, like brilliantly delusional. But there was never a shortage of really incredible voices and raw talent. We were always able to find it, and that’s what was so exciting."
Looking back on American Idol's legacy, it is easy to understand why Abdul wanted to leave the show on the first day.
When fans look back on all the people who were mocked all over the world for their terrible auditions, it can be easy to forget they were real people with real feelings. After all, viewers are so used to seeing fictional characters on TV.
On the other hand, Abdul and her fellow judges had to be confronted by the image of people humiliating themselves in the same room where they sat. That definitely would take some getting used to if you were an empathetic person.
Did Paula Abdul Enjoy Judging American Idol?
During the same interview where Paula Abdul revealed she repeatedly tried to quit American Idol, she also spoke about what she came to love about the show. Based on Abdul's answer, it seems very clear she grew to really enjoy judging American Idol.
"What I loved about it was that it brought families together. It didn’t matter what your socioeconomic background was. It brought the community together, even in the workplace. And the talent, when the talent came in and let us know we were watching something truly unique and special."
"To this day, we’re one of the only shows that has been able to successfully launch multi-platinum careers and to have contestants go on to win awards, from Grammys to AMAs to BAFTAS to Oscars, you name it."
Abdul was then asked which season of American Idol was her favorite and her response was very telling.
"I have incredible memories of each season, I really do. Every single season was special. Some seasons were stronger than others because of the diversity of the contestants, but still, there was incredible individual, unique talent right there. And even if they weren’t strong in the vocal area, they were strong in their presence. Season after season, they were all different."
Given how highly Abdul speaks about her American Idol experience, fans may wonder why she left the series. According to reports from the time of her departure, Abdul only left Idol because of failed salary negotiations.
All of that said, it would be reductive to say that Abdul enjoyed every aspect of her Idol experience. In reality, Abdul explained during the Entertainment Weekly interview that one aspect of filming American Idol was very unpleasant.
"Well, there was one thing that Simon told me. He said, 'Being you is overrated.' I couldn’t even react. He said, 'You can’t care as much as you do.' And I said, 'I can’t not care as much as I do. I am who I am.'”
"It’s true. If I could tune down that receptor of feeling energy and wanting to help and wanting to really, really want [contestants] to leave that stage a better version of themselves each time, it would have been a little easier for me."
