Cheryl Cole back as US X Factor judge? Reportedly invited to return
The ongoing across-the-pond game of human ping pong continues as singer Cheryl Cole has reportedly been asked to return as a judge on the US X Factor just a week after the shocking announcement she had booted from the panel.
According to numerous reports it was Simon Cowell who championed Cole’s return and convinced Fox executives to invite her back for the remainder of the show’s inaugural season. The singer was let go after only a week and a half and four auditions over reported concerns that her Geordie accent and lack of chemistry with fellow judge Paula Abdul would turn American audiences off.
An insider tells News of the World that after SImon made his pitch “key executives at Fox all realized they had made a big mistake. They have been watching the tapes of her at the American auditions and realizing that she could be a huge star over there.”
The whole fiasco was a bit embarrassing for the lovely Cheryl Cole, who has essentially gone into hiding since she was booted. A source close to Simon Cowell’s camp tells The Daily Mirror that the offer has been made but it isn’t a done deal because they are still waiting for Cole’s decision.
‘We have offered Cheryl a second chance and she might still come back to US X Factor. Fox have been re-examining the situation and have had a change of heart.
‘After the debacle with the UK judging panel we have started negotiating with Cheryl’s camp and the ball is now in her court.’
If Cheryl does decide to return it won’t be a happy ending for everyone because that means her replacement, Nicole Scherzinger, will have to return to co-hosting duties beside Steve Jones.
What a mess! Could it have all just been a big publicity stunt? That would seem to explain a lot, especially the complete silence from Cheryl’s camp. And it’s hard to argue with success because everyone in America is getting a crash course introduction to Cheryl Cole thanks to blogs like this reporting on the debacle!
The US version of X Factor is set to premiere this fall on Fox and will air on Wednesday and Thursday nights.