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Post-Idol Simon Cowell interview: 'Paula Stole the Show'

By April MacIntyre May 27, 2010, 18:12 GMT

03/11/2010 - Siobhan Magnus and Lee Dewyze - American Idol Top 12 Party - Arrivals - Industry - Los Angeles, CA, USA © Chris Hatcher / PR Photos

If anything was made clear last night, it was that wacky Paula Abdul was the heart and soul of Idol, and her removal sucked some of the life out of the show.

When she returned it was like old times, and changed the energy of the whole event last night.

Simon agrees.

As "American Idol" king Simon Cowell walked off the "Idol" set for the last time on Wednesday, his ex, Terri Seymour, got an exclusive backstage interview.

Toasting with champagne, Cowell reflected on nine seasons, "And it's gone like that. Snap."

Simon teared up and got emotional, especially when former judge and old pal Paula Abdul appeared on stage. "Typical Paula, she comes in and she steals the show," Cowell laughed.

In her sendoff, Abdul gave the real reason she left the show. "After eight years of sitting between two men with bigger boobs than me, I had enough."

"She's funny," Cowell said. "And when you watch those clips back of the two of us... one minute we liked each other. Then we were fighting. It wouldn't have been the same night without her."

The rest of the judging panel all gave their support and said how much they are going to miss him and will always feel his presence. "I'm not dying here," Simon laughed. "I'm just leaving the show and coming back next year on another one. Seriously, we all ended up getting along really well this year."

"The reason I didn't thank anyone individually is you're always going to leave someone out. I've been lucky, really lucky and have worked with some genuinely nice people."

TMZ is breaking the news that Rickey Minor, the band leader departing for Jay Leno's show, is angry about the show last night.

TMZ writes, "he [Minor] chewed out "A.I." producers backstage."

Minor was "fit to be tied after no one thanked him or wished him well" according to TMZ.

According to the TMZ spies, producers managed to get Randy Jackson to do an off the cuff sendoff and mollified the angry bandleader for the moment.

For more with Simon Cowell and all the interviews from backstage at the ‘American Idol’ finale tune-in to EXTRA tonight!