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The host and two of the judges on Fox’s The X Factor may be history, but at least one person is staying put alongside Simon Cowell. The option for L.A. Reid has been renewed so the judge/record mogul will stay with the Fox talent show for one more season.
Reid was originally tapped by Cowell because both men shared similar backgrounds, if not temperaments. (Reid could be just as harsh, if not more so, than Cowell during the show’s first season). Reid is a behind-the-scenes music mogul with a talent list that includes Mariah Carey, Pink, TLC and Usher. Could someone on that talent list now be tapped to replace judges Paula Abdul and Nicole Scherzinger, who were booted last week?
For now, it’s all speculation — but at least it’s keeping tongues wagging about Cowell’s show in the off-season, while NBC’s singing competition show The Voice revs up for a new season next week. THR was the first to report about Reid’s return.
Host Steve Jones will also depart the show, as Fox and Cowell make changes to the series after the first season performed solidly, but fell short of what many felt was the show’s high potential. (Factor delivered about 12.6 million viewers and a 4.4 average rating among adults 18-49 for its Wednesday episodes). The performances of Scherzinger and Jones were particularly panned by critics.
For more:
Paula Abdul confirms exit
‘X Factor’ overhaul: Who should replace Nicole, Paula, and Steve?
‘X Factor’: With Nicole, Steve, and Paula gone, are you more likely to watch?
