Comic, actress and talk-show host Ellen DeGeneres has been selected to take the " American Idol [ tickets ]" judge's seat recently vacated by Paula Abdul.

She'll join judges Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson and Kara DioGuardi on the upcoming ninth season of the hit Fox-TV talent show.

"Hopefully I'm the people's point of view because I'm just like you," she said during Wednesday's (9/9) taping of "The Ellen DeGeneres Show." "I'm not looking at it in a critical way from the producer's mind. I'm looking at it as a person who is going to buy the music and is going to relate to that person."

Abdul announced via her Twitter feed last month that she would not return to "Idol," which she's been a part of since its debut eight years ago. Her exit was preceded by reports of acrimonious contract negotiations between her and "Idol" producers.