14 DAY TRIAL // She may be going through a rougher patch in her personal life, but Jennifer Lopez has never done better in her career. With her movie comeback taking off at full speed, Lopez has also just gotten an $8 million raise for another season of American Idol, it has emerged.
As fans of the show must know, Lopez (together with Steven Tyler) was the newest addition after Simon Cowell left the judges panel to start his own show, the US version of the British X Factor.
At the end of her first season on AI, Jennifer said that her return as judge was unsure given that she also had other projects lined up, and the schedules might be conflicting.
All the while, rumors were saying she was just holding out for more money to return.
Whether that was the case or not, Lopez got a raise and, again, only signed on for one season, TheWrap has learned.
“The pop star will be returning to the singing competition with a contract with the Fox Broadcasting Network that’s ‘a smidge over’ $20 million, according to one of the individuals,” the movie-oriented e-zine says.
Admittedly, the deal is done but both JLo and Fox are yet to sign on the dotted line, so changes may still occur until the official announcement, which is expected to drop pretty soon, in a matter of days.
“The $20 million was apparently the base minimum for Lopez, and after tough negotiations with Fox, ended up just above that number,” TheWrap says.
“It’s a considerable raise from the $12 million she reportedly raked in for handling judge duties last season,” adds the e-zine.
Earlier reports claimed she wanted about $23 million for another season: if she didn’t get it now, she will most likely do so when the time comes to re-negotiate her contract next year, word online has it.
Until then, though, Lopez and Fox still have to work through her busy schedule for AI auditions.
“Lopez will be working on two major productions – the romantic comedy ‘What to Expect When You’re Expecting,’ which is slated for a May 2012 release, and the thriller ‘Parker,’ currently in pre-production – which will most likely necessitate a shift in audition dates for the upcoming season,” TheWrap stresses.