Paula Abdul claims she has been invited to continue serving as an American Idol judge until the show goes off the air  -- that is, if she's able to reach a new contract agreement.

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"I've been invited to stay the duration of the show, however long it lasts," Abdul told The Associated Press in a Monday report, adding the invite is contingent on agreeing to the details of a new deal.

While both Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson are currently under contract with Fox through Idol's ninth season next spring, the same isn't true for Abdul and Kara DioGuardi.

DioGuardi signed only a one-year deal for the show's recently completed eighth season, which also represented the last year of a three-year contract Abdul signed with Fox in March 2006.

Abdul's publicist Jeff Ballard has previously stated "negotiations are continuing" and nothing will officially be announced "until closer to September, when judges are needed back to go on the road" for ninth-season auditions.

Abdul has also previously stated that she's "not sure" if she'll return for the show's ninth season.
About The Author: Steven Rogers
Steven Rogers is a senior entertainment reporter for Reality TV World and been covering the reality TV genre for two decades.