In the first week of January 2013, I had the first exclusive worldwide report that Khloe Kardashian was getting fired as "The X Factor" U.S. co-host. And now the New York Post (in an article published on Feb. 17, 2013) has confirmed what I originally reported: Kardashian has been fired from the show. The New York Post also reports that Mario Lopez will remain as host of the "The X Factor" U.S.
Although the New York Post says that former "X Factor" U.S. judge Cheryl Cole, 29, is in talks to return to the show (she was notoriously fired in May 2011, after just a few weeks on the job), this is a very doubtful rumor because there have been many tabloids that have incorrectly reported that Cole will be returning to "The X Factor," either in the United States or the United Kingdom. (Cole was a judge on "The X Factor" U.K. from 2008 to 2010, before she quit to join take her ill-fated job as a judge on "The X Factor" U.S..)
These false rumors about Cole have been going on ever since she was fired from "The X Factor" U.S., even though Cole has said in many interviews and on Twitter that she will never go back to being an "X Factor" judge. Cole was replaced on "The X Factor" U.S. by Nicole Scherzinger, who lasted one season with the show before she too was fired. Scherzinger, 34, then became a judge on "The X Factor" U.K. in June 2012. As previously reported, Cole is currently suing "The X Factor" U.S. for $2.3 million, which she says is the salary that the show owes her.
In October 2012, Kardashian and Lopez joined "The X Factor" U.S. as co-hosts. But even before she was hired, Kardashian was very unpopular with the vast majority of "X Factor" viewers who loudly complained that they did not want her to host the show.
Kardashian, 28, was a controversial choice from the beginning, since she had no prior experience hosting a TV show. Her main claim to fame is being on staged reality shows with her family. Kardashian received countless complaints from most "X Factor" viewers, who often described her as "unprofessional," "awkward" and "horrible" as a TV host. Many viewers said they were boycotting "The X Factor" U.S. (which is televised in the U.S. on Fox) as long as Kardashian was on the show and they demanded that Kardashian get fired.
After Kardashian joined the show, the "The X Factor" U.S. lost an average of 1 million to 1.5 million viewers per episode. Before she was on "The X Factor" U.S., the show was averaging 9 million viewers per episode. After she joined the show, it started averaging 7.5 million to 8 million viewers per episode.
"The X Factor" executive Simon Cowell was one of Kardashian's biggest champions. In several interviews, he incorrectly predicted that she would be a hit with viewers, and he ignored people who warned him that Kardashian would be a train wreck because of her lack of experience.
If Cowell and "X Factor" decision makers had paid attention to the majority of "X Factor" viewers who said they didn't want Kardashian to host the show before she was hired, then this colossal hiring mistake never would have happened.
Kardashian caused so many viewer complaints and boycotts that several key "X Factor" decision makers saw her as a liability, according to sources.
An insider revealed to me in the first week of January 2013: "Khloe just isn't worth the hassle. Too many viewers hate her. Sponsors started to find out that people were boycotting the show because of her. When you have someone on the show who's having a negative impact with sponsors, it's time to dump that person."
Another insider said at the time, "People at Fox and a lot of viewers have been questioning Simon's judgment because he personally fought to have Khloe on the show. The network executives were very nervous about hiring a host with no experience. And they were right to be nervous. Khloe has been a nightmare. No amount of TV training for her can save the situation. She's alienated too many viewers."
Kardashian's "X Factor" ouster will be among the sweeping changes that sources say the show is making in 2013 in an effort to increase ratings, after the show lost millions of viewers in 2012.
For now, "X Factor" U.S. representatives are refusing to comment on any changes that the show is making in 2013. Kardashian and Lopez have not yet commented about their employment status with the show.
This won't be the first time that "The X Factor" U.S. is undergoing a major overhaul. In May 2012, Britney Spears and Demi Lovato replaced fired judges Paula Abdul and Scherzinger. Kardashian and Lopez replaced fired host Steve Jones. Abdul, Scherzinger and Jones were dismissed from "The X Factor" at the end of January 2012.
Despite these changes, and even though "X Factor" U.S. executives had hoped that Spears' presence on the show would increase ratings in 2012, the opposite happened. In 2011 for the show's first season, "The X Factor" U.S. averaged 12 million U.S. viewers per episode, according to the Nielsen Company. In 2012, the show's rating plummeted to an average of 8 million U.S. viewers per episode.
In December 2012, Antonio "L.A." Reid, 56, quit the show's judging panel because he said that he wants to spend more time focusing on his main job as chairman/CEO of Epic Records. His replacement on "The X Factor" is to be announced.
In January 2013, Spears, 31, announced that she would not be returning to "The X Factor" U.S. Whether she quit because she really wanted to leave or was "forced to quit" (in other words, fired) is open to debate, but the majority of "X Factor" viewers on the Internet said that they are happy that Spears is gone from the show. The replacement for Spears has not been announced yet either.
Lovato, 20, is also rumored to be getting fired after she received many viewer complaints about her ability to mentor contestants. But it has not yet been announced if she will remain a judge on "The X Factor" U.S. in 2013. Lovato has said in recent interviews that she would say yes if she is asked to continue as a judge on the show.
At this point, Cowell, 53, is the only judge who is guaranteed to remain on "The X Factor" U.S.
Fox has lost millions in advertising revenue because of the steep decline in "The X Factor" U.S. ratings in 2012. Because the ratings have failed to meet expectations, Fox has had to discount or reduce fees for advertisers and other sponsors who were promised a certain level of ratings that "The X Factor" U.S. did not deliver. These revenue losses are often not reported in the media because the advertising revenue that is reported is what the network charged before the season began, i.e., before the actual ratings for that season existed.
As for Lopez, 39, he has his share of fans and critics, but Kardashian was getting a lot more viewer complaints than Lopez got. He is an experienced TV host, who has emceed shows such as syndicated celebrity news program "Extra," MTV's "America's Best Dance Crew," NuvoTv talk show "Mario Lopez: One on One," the ALMA Awards and the Miss America Pageant.
Most viewers say that "The X Factor" U.S. only needs one host and that Lopez was doing a good job and should continue to host the show. It seems like the show's decision makers finally paid attention to what the majority of "X Factor" viewers want.
With Lopez continuing to host "The X Factor" U.S. and "Extra," it appears the decision has been made to have him host only the live episodes of "The X Factor" that will begin in late October or early November and will continue to the show's season finale in December. The show's live episodes take place in Los Angeles.
Realistically, Lopez would not be able to get time off from "Extra" (a Los Angeles-based show that he films on weekdays) to attend "X Factor" auditions in front of the judges, boot camp and the "judges' houses" phases of the competition, which are all prerecorded and take place in various cities from May to September.
By contrast, Jones was the host of "The X Factor" U.S. for all of its episodes in 2011. Jones is now a correspondent for "Entertainment Tonight."
In 2012, the show's prerecorded episodes did not have a host, and the episodes got mixed-to-negative reviews. One of the biggest complaints from viewers was that the backstage drama looked very fake and staged.
Before she was fired, Kardashian said in several interviews that she wanted to continue to host "The X Factor" U.S., but apparently she was in denial or did not want to admit how many "X Factor" viewers dislike her and want her gone from the show.
And based on reactions on the Internet, most "X Factor" viewers are happy that the decision was made to get rid of Kardashian.
Here's a sampling of Internet comments from people reacting to the news that "The X Factor" U.S. has fired Kardashian and kept Lopez as the show's host:
From Twitter:
"Not surprised. She was awful. So is the show."
"Of course. She wasnt needed."
"But Khloe was the most awkward host ever but I still love her ok."
"Khloe got fired from XF because every time she touched Mario it made people at home feel uncomfortable."
"Khloe is to 'inexperienced' and it showed.... You muppets, why did you hire her in the first place then?"
From Radar Online's message board:
"In true KarTRASHian fashion, Khloe tried to keep her job by acting like a wh*re on national TV. Her constant inappropriate flirting with Simon Cowell and touching him and sitting on his lap was desperate on her part. That family of wh*res don't have any talent, so they resort to sexual acts to get attention. How about picking up a book and getting smarter?"
"When they are completely gone from national television then I wll be glad to say 'Good Riddance'. Hopefully soon!!!!"
"Good, I knew it was coming. bye bye Khloe."
"Great news ! Your father was a lawyer, get a job instead of you and your sisters acting like wh*res !"
"I hope we're witnessing the downfall of the Kardashian's."
"I might tune in now. Thank you Simon!"
"There is a God!"
"Khloe and her sisters, skanks and a porn star with money. Her mother a hose bag !!! Money can't buy you class. And that whack job of a brother ! GTFOOH."
"You mean they realized it takes talent???"
"Good! She freakin sucked and her awkward laugh that she did after every time she talked was so annoying."
"Poor baby cant add another million to her stacks...whatever, why is she judging people with talent anyway ? The should show her on XXX-Factor , she could judge sex tapes ... like her sister's."
"Now she'll have time to raise KimWh*reSore's prop baby who's going to look like a fat-ass chipmunk."
"Thank GOD!! Now I can start watching it again."
"Uh-oh, Kris Humphries -- since khloe thinks it's her place to attack him in the media, he better be prepared for more of her vile and vicious wrath! The beast probably thinks her getting fired was also somehow his fault, when it was likely just determined that she is considered to be the one who has a 'gross' personality."
"I think the show needs to fire itself, this show hasn't lived up to the hype - sorry, but I think Idol even with the revolving door of judges is still tops - what has X Factor put out with their winners other than a Pepsi commercial???? Just sayin'"
"That's too bad, I liked her as a host on the show. Unfortunately, she probably couldn't compete with Mario and his talented mouth."
"She wasn't too bad. It was kind of fun seeing her goof up. Mario is so predictable. They should end these shows already. Simon you are so 10 yrs ago. Time to go back to what you did before this all started."
"Nobody here even knows who Cheryl Cole is nor do they care. That show is on its death bed."
"I would rather watch Khloe than Mario Lopez's smarmy self. Ick."
"Sorry but Simon lost all credibility when he hired Britney and Demi then this sl*t. Too late Simon the damage has already been done. Just end the show. Wont be watching .......AGAIN ...."
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