Hot on the heels of the news host Steve Jones won’t be returning comes word judge Nicole Scherzinger is stepping away from The X Factor to concentrate on her career. E Online broke the Scherzinger news, quoting an unnamed source as saying, “She wants to focus on her music career. She’s spoken to Simon [Cowell] and he’s given her his blessing.” However, The Hollywood Reporter seems to indicate the decision was Cowell’s, not Scherzinger’s.
Apparently the show is taking up much more time than Scherzinger anticipated, with the singer observing that the mentoring aspect of being a judge is a full-time job.
As for Jones, the host never really caught on with audiences so it’s actually no surprise he won’t be back for season #2. Jones confirmed the news today via Twitter: “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.”
And The Hollywood Reporter is saying Paula Abdul is not going to be invited back, although there’s no official word yet on her status.
