Ryan Seacrest says he knows why “American Idol” took a ratings hit this season. He says it’s Simon Cowell’s fault.

When asked about the decline, reports Canada’s Globe and Mail, Seacrest replied, “Well, the knee-jerk reaction would be Simon.”

Seacrest says there’s just too much of the acid-tongued judge: “Clearly there’s an over saturation of his character.” Seacrest pointed out that the ratings are still high, and addressed buzz that bosses want to change some of the “Idol” judges. “That’s clearly rumor,” he said. “I’m positive you can’t recreate the chemistry that we have with the group on ‘American Idol.’”