SIMON COWELL SAYS FOX CANNED X FACTOR STARS

The decision to remove two judges and the host of the U.S. version of The X Factor was made by executives of the Fox network, Simon Cowell, the show’s co-producer and a judge himself on the show, told the syndicated Extra on Tuesday. “It was fairly straight what [the network] wanted, and we were told it had to happen straight away,” Cowell said. Mike Darnell, head of alternative entertainment for Fox, appeared to confirm Cowell’s version of events. He told Entertainment Weekly, “Season 1 was basically an audition act,” Darnell said. “Simon got one big new star out of it — L.A. Reid, and that was great casting. There’s going to be a natural reassessment.” Cowell gave no hint about who would replace the departing X Factor stars, but he dismissed reports that he has been trying to sign up Beyoncé. “I have no idea where this rumor came from,” he said. “I read it online that I offered her $100 million a year. It’s complete nonsense.”