‘The X Factor’ UK losing Rita Ora; Simon Cowell now only remaining judge
We had wondered what the status of Rita Ora was going to be on the upcoming season of “The X Factor,” and now it’s official. It just doesn’t happen to be particularly great news for Simon Cowell.
Per The Sun, the “R.I.P.” singer has decided to not be a part of the judging panel for the next new episode of the show, with her commitments to other things being supposedly the biggest reason why:
“Losing Rita is a huge blow – she’s one of the biggest stars in the country and Simon wanted her to return.
“She was very keen to do the show but at the end of the day it didn’t work out with her other commitments around the world in music and acting. It means we’re going to have to go through the biggest shake-up in the history of X Factor, but maybe it will turn out for the best.”
We often hesitate to use words like “disaster” on this site, mostly because we don’t like to be hyperbolic like many of the British tabloids that are out there. Yet, at the same time this is a massive blow to the show given both the timing and some other circumstances. As we recently reported, Sharon Osbourne’s personal life, coupled with a busy work schedule right now including “The Talk,” could cause her to not want to be a part of the show moving forward. Louis Walsh is slated to return, but he and Simon cannot judge the show alone.
Maybe Cowell opts to bring in some guests judges for trials; or, he figures something else out to attract a big name. The one thing that we do know is that he has to figure this out, and most big stars simply do not have the time to take part in something like this show.
Want to get some other TV news on all we cover, sent right to your email? Then sign up over here for our official CarterMatt Newsletter. (Photo: ITV.)