Simon Cowell's shake-up of the US version of X Factor continues with the news that Nicole Scherzinger will no longer be judging the show. According to Entertainment Weekly, the former Pussycat Doll will be leaving the show, as well as her fellow judge Paula Abdul. Another casualty of Cowell's dramatic changes is last season's host, Steve Jones. A source has told Entertainment Weekly that the only people left from the last season will be Simon Cowell and La Reid.
The news follows weeks of speculation regarding the future of the show and its celebrity judges. It's no secret that the last series of the show under-performed in the reality TV show rating war in the States and earlier this month, Fox's entertainment president, Kevin Reilly suggested that Steve Jones would no longer have a future as the show's host. He was compared to Ryan Seacrest, the popular host of American Idol, as Reilly told reporters "as we know [hosting] is a much harder job than meets the eye," he said. "I think everybody has come to see the value of Ryan Seacrest. Whether Steve is the guy or not, it comes under the heading of growth in general." Currently, there has been no news of who Cowell intends to draft in to replace those that have left the show.
A source close to Nicole Scherzinger told E! News that the singer was not axed from the show, but chose to leave, as she wishes to "focus on her music career." According to the source, Simon has given her "his blessing."