Steven Tyler says goodbye…

The next season of the hit show “American Idol” will be different, and certainly less colorful. Legendary rocker Steven Tyler announced today that he’s leaving the series to devote more time to his band, Aerosmith.

In a statement, Tyler revealed, “After some long…hard…thoughts…I’ve decided it’s time for me to let go of my mistress ‘American Idol’ before she boils my rabbit…I strayed from my first love, AEROSMITH, and I’m back – but instead of begging on my hands and knees, I’ve got two fists in the air and I’m kicking the door open with my band.’

“On Nov. 6, we are unleashing our new album, ‘Music from Another Dimension’ on the Earth, Moon, Mars, and way beyond the stars. ‘Idol’ was over-the-top fun, and I loved every minute of it. Now it’s time to bring Rock Back. ERMAHGERD.”

So did Tyler quit or was he fired? There have been rumors for weeks that the producers of “Idol” wanted to shake up the judging panel for the coming season. Fox’s president of alternative entertainment Mark Darnell made the split sound amicable with his statement calling Tyler “a terrific judge, a true friend, and great mentor,” adding, “We are very sad that Steven has chosen to focus more on his music, but we always knew when we hired a rock ‘n roll legend, he would go back to music.”

The big question now is whether or not Jennifer Lopez will be the next judge to exit the long-running series.