Simon Cowell loves Paula, Paula Abdul loves Simon, Fox loves Paula — yet despite the lovefest, Abdul is out of a job on “The X Factor.”
The day after being shown the door at Cowell’s singing competition — along with fellow judge Nicole Scherzinger and host Steve Jones — Abdul and Cowell professed admiration for each other.
“I’ve learned through my longevity in this industry that business decisions oftentimes override personal considerations,” she said. “Simon and I, along with Fox and Fremantle, have been communicating about this for a while now, and I have absolute understanding of the situation.
“Simon is, and will remain, a dear friend of mine, and I’ve treasured my experience working this past season with my extended family at Fox and Fremantle,” said Abdul.
She said she wanted nothing more than for the show to succeed.
Cowell praised all three in a statement, noting that Abdul was “a very close friend.”
“I expect to be working with her on another project in the near future,” Cowell said.
Mike Darnell, president of alternative entertainment at Fox, also said the network loved Abdul.
“She is a remarkable talent and we appreciate all of her contributions. We’re lucky that she is a part of the Fox family, and we look forward to working with her again soon.”
The mass firing came as Cowell sets up to retool the talent show for next season. Another judge, L.A. Reid, is still with the show.
In its first season on Fox, the show averaged 12.5 million viewers, a respectable crowd, but far lower than Cowell or anyone in the business expected.
The reteaming of Cowell and Abdul was predicted to bring back some of the ratings magic they had on “American Idol.”
That, however, never materialized.
At first the speculation was that Jones, largely lambasted through the season, would go. Then Scherzinger was the rumored judge to hit the road.
There was no major buzz that Abdul would go, too.
“We had a lot of fun making the show together and importantly, we found some real talent and stars,” Cowell said in a statement. “I'm sure all three are going to have massive success in what they do next, but now is the time to thank them all for everything they did last year.”
Cowell has not revealed the team for next season.
However, in firing his three colleagues, he’s been able to finally overshadow “Idol” in buzz, if not ratings.
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