LOS ANGELES — Paula Abdul confirmed Tuesday that she will not reprise her role as a judge on next season of “The X Factor.”
“Yes, it’s true; I won’t be returning to ‘The X Factor’ next season,” Abdul said in a statement.
Abdul said she and producer Simon Cowell had been discussing her future with the show “for a while now” and she had “absolute understanding of the situation.”
Cowell, Abdul’s longtime sparring partner on “American Idol,” personally recruited her for “The X Factor.”
“I’ve learned through my longevity in this industry that business decisions often times override personal considerations,” she said. “Simon is, and will remain a dear friend of mine and I’ve treasured my experience working this past season with my extended family.”
Cowell, in a statement of his own, said, “You do develop friendships with the people you work with and Paula, in particular, is a very close friend.”
He expects to work with Abdul on another project in the “near future,” he said.
The news follows Monday’s announcement that neither host Steve Jones nor judge Nicole Scherzinger would be returning to the US version of the show.
The departures mean only producer Cowell and judge L.A. Reid will be back for the second season. Replacements for Abdul, Scherzinger and Jones have not yet been found, TMZ reported.
“The X Factor” drew between 12 million and 13 million viewers per show, but came up short against its ultimate measuring stick, “American Idol,” which pulls in about 20 million viewers, according to FOXNews.com.
FOX Entertainment president Kevin Reilly said at the Television Critics Association convention earlier this month that “there will be changes” to the show.
FOX is owned by News Corp., which also owns NewsCore.