Simon Cowell has gone on an X Factor firing frenzy. Steve Jones, Nicole Scherzinger, and, most shockingly, Paula Abdul have all been x-ed out of the judges lineup.
Of the five original U.S. judges, that leaves only L.A. Reid and of course Cowell himself.
The X Factor, a global vocal talent show created by Cowell, debuted in the U.K. in 2004 and arrived in the U.S. last year. The news of the pink slip bloodbath comes as something of a surprise as U.S. ratings for the X Factor had been quite healthy at about 12.5 million viewers per episode. However Cowell had ambitiously hoped to outperform American Idol’s 20 million viewers, which may have led to the judge liquidation.
Rumors are already swirling about potential replacements, including Mariah Carey, whom Cowell reportedly wanted to hire originally but Carey’s pregnancy made it difficult.
All of this news keeps one thing intact: Cowell’s reputation as a huge jerk.
TNC, X Factor, Simon Cowell, Nicole Scherzinger, Paula Abdul, Steve Jones, American Idol, X Factor Fox, Mariah Carey
