Speculation continues to swirl surrounding unconfirmed reports of X Factor co-host Khloe Kardashian‘s exit from the Fox reality singing show.
A report from an unnamed source in the New York Post claims that Kardashian will not be asked to return for the show’s third season. The source also said that host Mario Lopez will “definitely” be back on the show.
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Not so fast, claimed sister Kim Kardashian, who was cornered by TMZ at LAX on Monday night.
“A lot of people say a lot of incorrect things on the daily,” she said.
Khloe Kardashian was widely criticized by viewers and critics for appearing stiff and unprepared in front of the cameras in what was her first television hosting gig.
In response to the rumors, an official spokesperson for the show tells The Hollywood Reporter: “The producers have not yet made the talent decisions for this year.” Sources reportedly told TMZ, however, that Simon Cowell is thinking about his staffing for the upcoming season and that Kardashian’s fate has not yet been decided.
The 28-year old admitted in a Huffington Post interview last month that she found live television challenging, considering she got the gig one week before the show went live.
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“I’ve never done live TV before, and I was asked to not do any hosting lessons because they wanted me to be just myself. I found the day before, because the stage was just built, that I couldn’t read the teleprompter without glasses, so I had to get contacts the day before,” she said. “Just learning how there’s a screaming audience and you don’t yell because the mic is right here. I will have an earpiece in my ear, and while I’m trying to read the teleprompter, then I have someone counting down … and they’re like, ‘OK, ask Simon this or that.’ … There were so just so many pieces I never knew were involved in live TV.”
The Post article also claims that the show is in the midst of discussions with departed judge Cheryl Cole, who was dismissed from the show in 2011 after just a few weeks on the panel. Cole filed a $2.3 million lawsuit against the show for monies owed.
Although it is believed Demi Lovato wants to return to her job, she admitted in an interview with MTV News that she is torn between her television responsibilities and her career. Lovato has a new single, “Heart Attack,” set to premiere March 4.
“It’s hard ’cause at the end of the day, I’m a musician. So I could take the opportunity to tour, and, you know, I have to be a businesswoman and I have to balance it out on both aspects,” she said. “I had so much fun. And I would love to go back.”
Lovato said it’s all a matter of “making things work” when it comes to coming to a decision.
“You never know, I may do both; I may just pick one or the other,” she said.
The panel needs an overhaul following the departures of pop superstar Britney Spears and record label head L.A. Reid, with auditions just around the corner — continuing as scheduled — on March 6 in Los Angeles.
Twitter: Michele Amabile
