LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Pop singer and "American Idol" judge Mariah Carey will leave the TV singing contest and embark on a world tour next year, according to a statement by her publicist.
"@MariahCarey confirms world tour & says goodbye 2 Idol," public relations firm PMK BNC said on Twitter.
The tweet said Carey was planning the tour to promote her recent single "Beautiful" that features singer Miguel.
Carey, 43, reportedly earned $18 million for the past season of the Fox show. The star power of Carey, and fellow judges rapper Nicki Minaj and country singer Keith Urban failed to stop the show's ratings slide.
Longtime judge Randy Jackson earlier this month said he would not return to the show, which had a record low audience of 14.2 million for its May 16 season finale.
Fox is owned by News Corp.
(Reporting by Eric Kelsey; Editing by Stacey Joyce)