‘The X Factor’ USA: L.A. Reid leaving show after season 2 finale

Simon Cowell just can’t keep judges to stick around for “The X Factor.” After last year, he made the move to fire both Nicole Scherzinger and Paula Abdul; and now, L.A. Reid is voluntarily making the decision to step down.

Speaking in an interview with “Access Hollywood,” the music mogul explains that the decision to leave really doesn’t have anything to do with him necessarily hating his experience, or getting annoyed with some of the other judges. (The only weird part of this interview is that it seems almost as though the interviewer was waiting for him to say something negative about the show. Reid really just explained that the sole determining factor in not wanting to come back for another year (at least right now) was the fact that he is also the chairman of Epic Records, and he takes his responsibilities over with the label rather seriously:

“I have decided that I will not return to ‘The X Factor’ next year … I have to go back — I have a company to run that I’ve kind of neglected. I have a roster of artists [who depend on me].”

One of the mother moves that may have facilitated L.A.’s decision was the realization this year that he was not always going to have the opportunity to work with the people that he has become famous for helping to turn into stars over the years: teenagers, or people who are new to the industry. He was very upset to learn that he was assigned the Over-25s this year, though he has tried to make the best of it with Tate Stevens.

What do you think about Reid’s decision, and do you think the poor reviews for the show, which could have damaged his credibility in the music world, played a role in this? If you want to read more about Thursday night’s results show, you can do so over here. On a personal note, Reid’s exit was probably a good thing. He took the show a little too seriously overall, and Simon Cowell needs a male judge to have a little bit of fun.

Photo: Fox