Fox’s president of alternative entertainment Mike Darnell has referred to the first season of the US X Factor as "an audition act" in reference to low ratings and proposed lineup changes.
Talking to Entertainment Weekly, Darnell said: "Simon got one big new star out of it — LA Reid, and that was great casting. There’s going to be a natural reassessment."
While the departure of Nicole Scherzinger and host Steve Jones was expected after Crowgate, Darnell said 'letting go' of Paula Abdul was more troublesome.
"She and Simon are great friends, so it was just a dynamic conversation about what’s the nature of the group going to be. And I think we decided to pull the Band-Aid off as quickly as possible," he explained.