Simon Cowell’s great experiment seems to be officially over.
“The X Factor” could now be two judges short as Britney Spears is reportedly exiting the show amid reports that she jumped off the boat before Cowell could fire her.
Spears, who earned $15 million to judge the second season of the show, “will get the boot” because Cowell “wanted crazy Britney, but he got boring Britney,” a source told Us Weekly in December, referring to Spears’ public meltdowns in years past.
However, sources told TMZ that Spears left the show to focus on recording her eighth album.
“Britney loves Simon, she likes Demi Lovato but her thing is music,” a source said.
Demi Lovato and Cowell are the show’s other judges. Record exec L.A. Reid announced his exit last month after two seasons to focus on running Epic Records.
The Post reported yesterday that Fox would welcome the pop star back as a judge despite a 20 percent drop in ratings that has led to speculation that the show will soon undergo a massive redo.
“I think Britney did a really good job,” programming chief Kevin Reilly revealed yesterday. “People remain fascinated by her and always will be. She tucked in really nicely on that bench.”
Spears was criticized by many for often appearing dazed and confused, giving short, generic critiques and never becoming the public ambassador the show badly needed.
“Maybe some people were waiting for more drastic displays of some nature that never came,” Reilly admitted. “But, pound for pound, I thought ‘The X Factor’ was excellent this year.”