Nicole Scherzinger and Steve Jones will not be returning for
season two of The X Factor, a Fox spokesperson confirmed late Monday.
Multiple reports have also stated that judge Paula Abdul will also leave the singing competition series, though those reports have not been confirmed by Fox.
It was rumored last month that Jones would not be returning
as host of the singing competition series,
and the native Brit confirmed the news on Twitter on Monday
saying "I wont be hosting next seasons XFactor which is a shame but I cant
complain as I've had a great time. Good luck to everyone on the show."
Scherzinger, who was originally cast as host alongside Jones
before being bumped up to the judging panel with Simon Cowell, Abdul and
L.A. Reid, was initially thought to have been a possibility to replace Jones,
but now she is exiting the series as well.
X Factor producers have hinted that changes were coming to
the series after the show did well in its first season but fell short of the
enormous expectations that had been set for it and didn't distinguish itself enough from fellow Fox hit American Idol. Cecile Frot-Coutaz, CEO of
FremantleMedia North America, which produces The X Factor, told B&C
Executive Editor Melissa Grego in an interview at NATPE last week that
producers were examining every aspect of the show, including casting, for season two.
"That's what we do on all of our shows," she said. "When the season
is over, we review everything. That's not to say we are going to make changes
for the sake of making changes, but we benefit from our experience. There's
nothing to say that you have to stick with the same panel [of judges] for four
or five years."
