Simon Cowell to Cheryl Cole: Sorry About 'X Factor'

By AOL TV Editors Posted Jun 7th 2011 07:34AM

After weeks of speculation it was confirmed yesterday that Nicole Scherzinger is replacing Cheryl Cole on 'The X Factor' in the U.S.

Now, head honcho Simon Cowell has apologized to Cole for the chaos surrounding the judging lineup on his new talent show, but insists that she wasn't fired.

According to The Sun, Cowell takes full responsibility for the decision to replace Cole with Scherzinger, and said he did it for her own good. He said she seemed out of her depth on the U.S. show, and so producers offered her a quiet exit with the offer of returning to her old job on 'The X Factor' U.K.

"The feeling was that she was slightly out of her comfort zone in America," he said. "The intention was to do it quietly and say to her she had an option to rejoin the UK show. ... At the end of the day we were saying, 'Move to another show for even more money'. There was an offer of around £2.5 million on the table including bonuses. How is that [firing] someone?"

However, after Cole and her manager, Black Eyed Peas member will.i.am, reportedly refused to take phone calls from TV executives to discuss the option, the offer was withdrawn and the new U.K. judging lineup -- sans Cole -- was announced last month.

Cowell said that it was then decided to offer Cole a lifeline to return to the U.S. show, where she was still under contract, and "heated conversations" began with her lawyers and manager. Finally, however, producers decided to give her spot to Scherzinger, leaving Steve Jones as the sole host.

Possibly keen to avoid any more damaging publicity for the newbie show, Cowell said he's not the monster some have portrayed him as. "I embarrassed her. ... But the truth was I was protecting her. I just want people to be in the best place at the right time."

Cowell told The Sun how he'd received a text mesage from Cole saying she felt let down about the U.S. show but understood it was a professional decision. He said: "I replied saying, 'This was never personal or saying you were terrible.' It wasn't that she was terrible -- she was good. I just thought she'd be happier in the U.K."

Cole arrived in the U.S. in a shower of publicity, but her role on 'The X Factor' was overshadowed by the last-minute signing of Paula Abdul and issues surrounding her accent and appeal (or lack thereof) to the U.S. audience. So far she has not spoken publicly about the debacle, but a friend told The Sun that, "She just wants to take a break from all this and look to the future."

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Tags: cheryl cole, simon cowell, the x factor

Comments

(7)

Tuesday 07 June

By Dennis

Vote down Vote up Report this

This will be an eventual blessing to Cole anyway. The XFactor is a crappy show for mindless imbeciles, just like the UK version, and it will be a great ratings disappointment, bound for failure.

By Cyrano

Whatever happened to Simon's Arab girlfriend?

Thursday 16 June

By MJNB

Do we really have to articulate she's arab?

By BTDT

"Cole and her manager, Black Eyed Peas member will.i.am,"

will.i.am is her manager? the poor girl is an imbecile.

By Lisa

CHERYL IS A W E S O M E

To the FOX NETWORK IDIOTS AND SIMON YOU HURT CHERYL SHAME ON YOU

Wednesday 08 June

By BW

After Cheryl's first "firing", Derek Hough allegedly broke up with her due to several personal issues -- and she's supposedly getting friendly again with her ex again. If she got this X Factor job in the US, how would she have effectively done a good job for X Factor in the US, and keep an eye on her ex in England at the same time? Her ex does have a history of needing to be "kept an eye on". It would probably have driven her nuts, maybe leading to her having to quit and return to England. What do I know? It's just the more I hear about Cheryl, it seems Nicole's the better person for the job.

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