‘The X Factor’ USA rumors: Are Britney Spears’ days as judge numbered?

We suggested in our recent three-part review of “The X Factor” USA that Britney Spears would be one of the major departures on the show leading up to season 3, and we are now getting some “sources” out across the internet suggesting that this will indeed be happening in the near future.

So what is the reason behind these claims? For that, we turn to an Us Weekly source, who shared the following message on the subject as to why the pop princess, who was a huge get for the show back in the spring with her $15 million contract, could now be on the way out the door:

“Britney will get the boot … Producers wanted her for the long haul, but it isn’t working … They paid all that for her to say ‘amazing’ and offer half-claps.”

Is this rumor remotely true? While we agree with most of what this source is saying, we think that a Spears exit would be likely due to financial reasons before it even went into her performance on the show. The truth is that this show is losing viewers while spending more money, and they need to simplify. Britney is, save for Simon Cowell, the biggest-earning star on the panel, and the show needs to focus more on getting a group of judges who gel together on the panel rather than someone who is just a big name. When Cowell made it big on “American Idol,” he did so due to his chemistry with Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson. He needs to have the same thing going here.

For the record, Spears expressed an interest in coming back on “The X Factor” for another season, but that seems like it is not going to happen at the moment. She was expensive, and the source is correct in that she barely brought anything interesting or insightful to the panel.

In speaking about changes to the show, you can hear what Mario Lopez has to say about possibly coming back for season 3 as co-host over at the link here.

Photo: Fox