She’s made headlines for replacing Paula Abdul on the judges’ panel of the ninth season of American Idol, and on Tuesday’s episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, the comedienne is taking on critics who have questioned how qualified she is to judge TV’s top-rated singing competition.

“Apparently, there’s a lot of debate going on right now, whether I’m qualified or not to be the new judge on ‘American Idol’… I’ll tell you right now, how I know I’m going to be a great judge — because I’ve spent my whole life being judged. So, I know what it’s like. So, I will be kind. I will be compassionate. I will be empathetic, and I will be truthful. I will be an honest judge without being mean,” Ellen told her audience.

“I’m very excited to be on the show. I will tell you that right now,” she added. “I just continue to be excited every single day. I knew people would have opinions, and I did not want to know what they were because why should I take that stuff in? I try not to watch anything that I think is going to be talking about me….”

She continued, “But the things that people are saying. … I thought America had moved past this. First, we have the first African American President. We’ve sworn in our first Hispanic Supreme Court Justice. I think American Idol is ready for there first blonde judge.”

The new season of American Idol kicks off in January 2010 on FOX.