TMZ reported this weekend that the team behind “X Factor” is looking to have replaced judge Cheryl Cole return to the show. The catch? It is not because it feels it missed the boat on the British singer’s fitness for the American version of the talent show.
Rather, the site reports that because Cole’s contract calls for her to receive her salary, reportedly in the same $1.5 million range as that of Paula Abdul and Antonio “LA” Reid, whether she judges or not, FOX and FremantleMedia feel it makes more sense to keep her on board.
Interest in keeping her around accelerated after a deal to bring her back to the UK version fell through. Cole’s camp, the TMZ story says, wanted £2.5 to return to that show, and producers nixed such a fee.
Failing to bring her on board for the UK show meant that they could not use that as a make-good for her US show salary, and as of right now, she would still be entitled to her fee. Hence the interest in bringing her back, despite the very public reports that “X Factor” opted to replace the judge with host Nicole Scherzinger.
No official comment has been made available on whether Cole is going to accept the offer to return, although some UK media reports are suggesting that Cole will indeed be returning, possibly as early as the Wednesday auditions in New Jersey.
According to Deadline, however, there is speculation that if Cole rejects an offer to return to the show, she would, at that point, waive rights to the $1.5 million.
Apparently they didn’t want her on the American version because the American’s couldn’t understand her Geordie accent, which is a load of rubbish.