Ellen DeGeneres Tells Ryan Seacrest: "I Hope Paula Is OK With It"

Ellen DeGeneres rang into the Ryan Seacrest show Thursday morning to talk about her upcoming gig as American Idol's fourth judge.

Ellen said that she has been in negotiations for a few weeks and that she had no hesitation about accepting the offer as she is a huge fan of the show.

"I'm a huge fan," Ellen said. "I haven't missed one show since season one."

Ellen also said that she's not going to be mean, she's going to be the voice of everybody else and that she's, "Going to have fun, be very honest, honest in a kind way. I'm going to be the compassionate person."

And when it comes to Simon? "I'll tell Simon he's mean, like I do on my show."

Ellen also shared that she was "shocked" about Paula Abdul not returning and that Paula was a "huge part of the show" that she was "part of the American Idol family". Ellen said she was "surprised and sad" about Paula leaving and that Paula leaves a "hole that needs to be filled. I didn't think it would be me. I hope Paula is OK with it."