Not to be rude, but a record low Idol audience tuned in to bid farewell to acerbic judge Simon Cowell.

An average of 24.2 million viewers tuned into see rocker Lee DeWyze take the ‘American Idol’ crown in Cowell’s final appearance on the show, making it the franchise’s least watched finale to date, The Hollywood Reporter said Thursday.

The show scored a win in the 18-49 demographic with a rating of 8.2, which is down 18 percent from last year.

The two-hour program featured an array of musical stars including Janet Jackson and Bret Michaels along with appearances from former Idol contestants and ex-judge Paula Abdul.