Steven Tyler On Why He Left American Idol, Says It Was “Not My Cup of Tea”

Steven Tyler On Why He Left American Idol, Says It Was “Not My Cup of Tea”. In an interview with Rolling Stone, the Aerosmith front man says the reality competition was “not my cup of tea,” and reveals several of the issues he had with being a judge on the show. “It was just hard work: seven-hour days and then I went and did the [Aerosmith] album for eight hours after that,” Tyler explains.

The rocker admits he also had trouble delivering some of the harsh criticism Idol had been known for under the reign of Simon Cowell, saying, “They wanted me to take the piss out of the kids and I don’t have that in me.” “That’s not what I’m about,” he tells the magazine. “That’s more about that other guy. Not me.”Summing up his experiences on the show, Tyler says he “loved it and hated it,” acknowledging that “it was a great job, I sat next to J. Lo and I made a ton of money.” But, he points out, “It was a moment in life and it became larger than life.”