Ellen DeGeneres, who never got comfort able telling young sing ers to go back to their day jobs, has abruptly quit as a judge on "American Idol."

"A couple of months ago, I let Fox and the 'American Idol' producers know that this didn't feel like the right fit for me," she said last night in a statement.

"It was a difficult decision to make, but my work schedule became more than I'd bargained for." 

Meanwhile, Jennifer Lopez is poised to take DeGeneres' place, according to multiple reports.

People magazine quoted an insider saying, "It's true, she's excited about it."

OK! magazine said an "Idol" source revealed, "They are ironing out contracts . . . so unless something goes wrong, it's a done deal."

DeGeneres' departure -- coming as New York auditions are to begin next Tuesday -- was sudden, but not a total surprise.

Just this week, the show's producers began to hint that they were considering getting rid of all of the remaining judges -- DeGeneris, Randy Jackson and Kara Dioguardi-- and starting over with a whole new slate.