Nigel Lythgoe, the “American Idol” executive producer is going to leave the show. According to E! Online, Nigel Lythgoe has confirmed that he would indeed leave “American Idol,” which is still the most watched show on TV, even if its ratings are down a little bit.

“I will step back from my day-to-day producing work on ‘American Idol’ and will be devoting my time to the new enterprise,” said Nigel Lythgoe in a statement. He is currently negotiating a joint-venture deal with Simon Fuller, creator of “American Idol,” and 19 Entertainment. 

“Due to the huge success of ‘So You Think You Can Dance,’ my summer will be taken up by travels to South Africa, Australia and Canada to work on local versions of the show,” said the 59-year-old former dancer-choreographer.

The current state of “American Idol” is still good, but statistics show that its audience is aging. The series had 28.4 million weekly viewers last season compared to the 30.8 million who watched the show in 2005-2006, its highest-rated year. The May finale, when David Cook won, was the second-highest for the show.

Referring to Nigel Lythgoe’s leaving, Fox congratulated him, adding that the network “was disappointed” that Lythgoe was going to leave the show.

“He is an extraordinarily talented producer whose creative contributions to the No. 1 show on television have been immeasurable,” acknowledged the network said in a statement.

It remains to see if Lythgoe continues to have a part in “American Idol,” which returns next January. Auditions for the show began on July 17 in San Francisco.

Simon Fuller said that Lythgoe was “the best producer I have ever worked with,” adding that they have been collaborating for more than 10 years. The two of them are responsible for creating “So You Think You Can Dance?” contest series, which airs on Fox.