It was a bloodbath Monday night as news broke that X Factor had let go of not only hostSteve Jones, but both female judges Nicole Scherzinger and Paula Abdul. Abdul released a statement Tuesday morning confirming the news followed by one from show creator and judge, Simon Cowell.
"Yes, it's true; I won't be returning to The X Factornext season,” Abdul states.
Moments after Abdul's statement hit, Cowell released his official statement. “"I want to say a massive thank you to Paula, Nicole and Steve for being part of The X Factor last year," he starts.
“We had a lot of fun making the show together and importantly, we found some real talent and stars. You do develop friendships with the people you work with and Paula, in particular, is a very close friend and I expect to be working with her on another project in the near future. I'm sure all three are going to have massive success in what they do next , but now is the time to thank them all for everything they did last year."
The Hollywood Reporter uncovered the story of how Cowell fired his cohorts during a series of off-site meetings in the UK. According to a show insider, meetings are taking place wherein the show creator has assembled his team and creative brain-trust for a post-mortem. The purpose: detailing what went wrong and what was done right on season 1 of the Fox singing competition.
Among the brash verdicts, says THR's source: That Abdul's role was seen as "irrelevant to the mix," in part through no fault of her own (as mentor to the groups, her contestants were picked off early in the competition).
Why the surprise post-season slaughter? Insiders point to an issue of both truth and perception: Ratings. While The X Factor's inaugural bow had numbers comparable to that of NBC's The Voice, X Factor was seen as a disappointment while The Voice was deemed a success. In a way, Cowell could only blame himself -- he was the one who set the bar extraordinarily high, telling THR in an August 2011 cover story that he was anticipating a viewership of 20 million.
Coming in some 8 million viewers short meant lost ad revenue and diminished profits on what was already one of the most expensive productions on television.
Also nagging at Cowell -- with just about everything he touches -- are the constant Idol comparisons and U.S. X Factor was no exception. But even with its over-the-top accoutrements of costumes, dancers and pyro, many from inside and outside the show's sphere felt it simply wasn't different enough, especially with the familiar image of Abdul at Cowell's side.
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