Was Jennifer Lopez Fired for Asking for $2M Raise to $17M?

Jennifer Lopez says she left American Idol voluntarily, but it may be that the singer/actress was fired after asking for another raise.

In what would have been her third season on the popular Fox show, Jennifer Lopez reportedly asked for a $2-million-dollar raise. This comes just a year after she got a $3 million raise boosting her salary from $12 million her first year to $15 million in her second (and last) year, reports Reuters.

Instead of countering Jennifer Lopez's raise demands, Fox reportedly just let her go, reports Reuters.

While JLo may be no ordinary employee, her case of asking too much, too soon can be a valuable lesson for what to do (and what not to do) when looking for a pay raise.

Generally, any employee can ask for a raise. You can ask for one right after you start work and you can ask for one immediately following an awful performance evaluation. However, if you don't want to look foolish, here are some general rules you can follow:

• Look at Your Calendar. There are some natural points where you might want to ask for a raise such as your one year anniversary or near year's end. In addition, your company may have set periods of time where they evaluate employees' pay.
• Look Around You. If your colleagues asked for a raise and received it, you may want to ask for a raise too. You may also want to look at your industry as a whole to see if pay is going up.
• Look at Yourself. Do you deserve a raise? Did you just receive a raise? You should ask yourself these questions. Getting a raise is a personal decision and you should use some common sense before asking.

Maybe if Jennifer Lopez followed some of these guidelines before asking for a raise, she would still have her job.

Related Resources:

• Did Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler leave, or were they fired? (TheCelebrityCafe)
• Jennifer Lopez Dumped From 'Idol' After Seeking Raise to $17M (Exclusive) (The Wrap)
• Wage and Hour Laws (FindLaw)
• Ask A Question about Pay Raises now (FindLaw Answers)