“American Idol” Reboot NOT In “Jeopardy of Being Canceled,” Despite Claim

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(ABC)

The “American Idol” reboot is not in “jeopardy of being canceled,” despite a claim. Gossip Cop can exclusively debunk this untrue story. We actually hear there’s already talk of picking up the show for another season.

Life & Style, however, is wrongly deeming the revived music competition an “embarrassing failure” for ABC. According to the misinformed tabloid, “ratings aren’t exactly what the network had hoped for,” and now the show is “in jeopardy of being canceled.” A so-called “source” claims to the gossip magazine that “many believe” the lone sexual misconduct allegation against host Ryan Seacrest is to blame.

That said, the outlet contends Seacrest “isn’t the only potential problem.” The publication points its finger at judge Katy Perry, who caused controversy by kissing a contestant, who later said he was “uncomfortable” with the gesture. “Her flirty behavior with contestants is a turnoff and key element of the ratings decline,” alleges the article’s supposed snitch. Meanwhile, co-stars Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie are described as “bland.”

Without actually naming specific people, the tabloid’s purported tipster claims “everyone is panicking” that the show “isn’t the lightning-rod hit ABC thought it would be.” Adds this questionable insider, “There are already whispers of a cancellation or a shake-up in the judging panel.” It’s possible, of course, that the make-up of the judges will change after the season ends and before a new one begins. But there’s no real expectation of a mid-season departure.

Bobby Bones makes his first “Idol” appearance as a mentor on April 8, but that’s hardly a “shake-up” given that his gig was announced more than a month ago. It’s telling that he isn’t even mentioned in the magazine’s story, which doesn’t acknowledge that the live episodes have yet to begin. The crucial part of the competition will unfold over the next month, and it’s through assessing how those episodes perform that executives will decide whether to renew the program.

There certainly isn’t a cancellation looming already. Producers are committed to seeing the season through, and one production contact exclusively tells Gossip Cop that there’s been “talk of a pick-up” for another cycle because of how promising things look so far. “ABC is thrilled with Ryan and the judges,” reveals our rock-solid insider. And contrary to the network finding the ratings to be problematic, the opposite is actually true.

ABC issued a press release on Tuesday that noted “American Idol” actually beat “The Voice” in the coveted Adults 18-34 age bracket. The show was steady in week-to-week total viewers, and as The Hollywood Reporter pointed out, the gap between “American Idol” and “The Voice” in the key Adults 18-49 bracket is narrowing. TVLine, too, also highlighted in a headline, “Voice/Idol Gap Narrows.” Those are clear signs that things are going well, not poorly.

Had Life & Style done a modicum of fact-checking, it easily could’ve discovered this readily-available information. Instead, the tabloid put together what amounts to an unsubstantiated hit piece, much like RadarOnline deceptively did earlier this month when it wrongly likened the “Idol” reboot to a “train wreck.” That’s a phrase that better describes the gossip media’s inadequate and misleading reporting.