jeniferJennifer Lopez is finding it tough to reject hopefuls from American Idol.

The singer and actress, who has taken a place on the judging panel along with Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler and original judge Randy Jackson, struggled to say no to a contestant for the first time.

“Oh, my God, I hate this!” she said. “Why did I sign up for this? I want to go home.”

Another aspiring singer was rejected by Randy, but when she broke down in tears J-Lo and Steven overlooked their reservations to keep her in the competition.

The show has seen a shake-up with Simon Cowell exiting as a judge along with singer-songwriter Kara DioGuardi and chat show host Ellen DeGeneres.

Host Ryan Seacrest said the new series was “the most fun we’ve ever had”. He added: “It’s our tenth season, and everything feels brand new.”