Nigel Lythgoe has announced that he will be stepping down as executive producer of American Idol.

Nigel has been at the helm of the show for all its seven series, but has decided to stand down so he can concentrate on his other show, ‘So You Think You Cna Dance.’

“Due to the huge success of Dance, my summer will be taken up by travels to South Africa, Australia and Canada to work on local versions of the show,” Lythgoe explained in a statement. “I will step back from my day-to-day producing work on American Idol and will be devoting my time to a new venture with Simon Fuller.”

Fox, which broadcasts Idol in the US, added: “We congratulate Nigel on the proposed joint venture he is developing with Simon Fuller. He is an extraordinarily talented producer whose creative contributions to the No. 1 show on television have been immeasurable.”