Cheryl Cole Joins LA Reid & Simon Cowell on X Factor – It’s Official

By On 05/05/2011 · 33 Comments · In X Factor

It’s official. Cheryl Cole joins LA Reid and Simon Cowell on the X Factor judges panel, according to a tweet from @TheXFactorUSA

BRITISH POP SUPERSTAR CHERYL COLE JOINS ANTONIO “L.A.” REID AND SIMON COWELL ON “THE X FACTOR” JUDGES PANEL #THEXFACTORUSA

What a bulletin, eh? I’ll add the press release when I get my hands on it.

Now, there’s just one more spot to fill on the X Factor judges panel, and it’s reportedly going to be Paula Abdul, with Nicole Scherzinger and Corbin Bleu coming aboard as co-hosts.

“I’m thrilled for Cheryl. She is massively excited about this show, and has been fantastic to work with,” says Simon Cowell in a statement. “She is also a complete brat! Most importantly, this girl can spot talent.”

“I’m so excited to be taking part in the American version of The X Factor,” Cheryl says in a statement. “I absolutely love it here in the U.K., and with the talent they have out in America, I’m sure we’re going to find someone very special. I can’t wait to get started. I just can’t decide whether I am more excited to find and nurture the talent or for the unbelievable amount of amusement and entertainment I will have watching Simon doing everything and anything he can to beat me. He’s tried to beat me for three years in the U.K., and hasn’t even come close. His ego must be so bruised. America is gonna love this.”

“Cheryl Cole has the whole The X Factor package: She’s an incredibly talented artist and performer, as well as a style icon, and she has that special charisma that draws in fans around the world,” says Mike Darnell, President of Alternative Entertainment, Fox Broadcasting Company. “Cheryl’s charm and chemistry with Simon have been a key part of the overwhelming success of ‘The X Factor’ in the U.K., and we can’t wait to welcome her to the U.S. on our air.”

“As a young artist whose talent show discovery led to almost immediate stardom, Cheryl’s career exemplifies the promise of The X Factor,” said executive producer Cecile Frot-Coutaz. “Her empathy and passion for identifying and nurturing undiscovered talent has made her a huge hit with British audiences, and I have no doubt America will fall in love with her beauty, her accent and her incredible chemistry with Simon Cowell.”

About Cheryl Cole

There aren’t many who have successfully made the transition from girl group to solo star. But one woman who has, and made it seem utterly effortless, is Cheryl Cole. Cole’s first solo single, “Fight For This Love,” was the fastest-selling single of 2009, and both of her solo albums charted at No. 1. The first, “3 Words,” has been certified triple platinum. Three further top five singles followed, along with two BRITs nominations and winning the coveted Best Music Act at the ELLE Style Awards 2011. In making these albums, Cole collaborated with an impressive number of music’s A-list, including Dizzee Rascal, Travie McCoy, Taio Cruz and most notably will.i.am of The Black Eyed Peas. As well as effortlessly charming her collaborators, Cole has garnered many a famous fan too. Adele, the voice of 2011, chose to cover “Promise This,” the No. 1 lead-in single from Cole’s second album, “Messy Little Raindrops,” in the Live Lounge on Radio 1. Another very big fan is Simon Cowell, who personally handpicked her as a judge for “The X Factor” in the U.K. in 2008. Cole became an instant hit with viewers and went on to win the show in both 2008 with Alexandra Burke and 2009 with Joe McElderry. The last season of “The X Factor” was the most talked-about show in Britain, regularly attracting audiences of 15 million. The finale peaked at 21 million viewers and saw Cole with two of her contestants in the finale. Cole has also become a leading style icon. She has graced the cover of British Vogue twice, the first time becoming the highest-ever-selling February issue in the title’s history. She has also appeared on the covers of Harper’s Bazaar and ELLE. Cole is also a L’Oreal spokesmodel fronting the L’Oreal Elvive Full Restore 5 hair care range. Despite massive success as a singer, style icon and TV star, Cole is keen to give back. In February 2009, she joined an expedition to climb Mount Kilimanjaro in order to raise money for Comic Relief. In February 2011, Cole announced the launch of her own charitable foundation with The Prince’s Trust. The Cheryl Cole Foundation will provide funding to work with disadvantaged young people from Cole’s hometown of Newcastle upon Tyne and surrounding areas of northeast England. Cole did her growing up in Girls Aloud, the U.K.’s most successful girl band. Formed on TV show “Popstars: The Rivals” in 2002, they went on to record five albums and sell over 10 million records. Girls Aloud topped the singles chart four times, had 20 top 10 singles and won the BRIT Award for Best Single in 2009 with “The Promise.” Girls Aloud won critical acclaim and fans from every corner. Their third album, “Chemistry,” got five-star reviews, and the single “Love Machine” was covered by the Arctic Monkeys. Coldplay’s Chris Martin personally requested that Girls Aloud were on the lineup alongside Jay-Z for the Wembley Stadium shows in 2009. For more information on Cole, please visit www.cherylcole.com.

 
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  • Allison

    Her name means nothing to me.

  • jammasta

    *drool*

    I wonder if she’ll talk anything about her past winners in the UK.

    My favorites for the past two series of X-Factor UK have come from her group, and last year had two of them. I am a bit happy about this.

    Still not sure how popular she will be.

  • Kirsten

    Don’t we need a fourth judge? Aren’t we starting the judge’s audition round next week?

    Simon would have been better off picking a judge who meant something to the American audience than just picking somebody he is comfortable with who defers to him.

  • Andy11

    I watched some x-factor this year and thought she was a really appealing person. Doesn’t really matter that people here don’t know who she is yet. Everybody knows who the Idol judges are this year and they suck. I think she will be popular.

  • tinawina

    That’s fine I guess. She’s pretty. I still don’t really care though.

  • soamused

    For me, this show seems destined to be really lame compared to The Voice.

  • springboard

    I don’t think it matters whether people know her or not. As we have seen on idol, judges can come across different when they are in this position than otherwise, and Cheryl is not worse than this year idol panel. Personally, I don’t think that she is great, she lacks personality and is a ‘yes’ person to Simon, but the British public loved her until the last X Factor.

    The fact that she had two winners in her category is meaningless, she had the best categories and 1000% support from Simon and TPTB.

  • yaddabing

    but….what happened to all of the “a-listers who constantly called him up for the job” ????

  • cokezero

    Soooooooooo happy!!!!!

  • Nina1

    Does Simon save all his press releases for Wednesday night after Idol?

  • iFly55

    This just means we’re going to get more will.i.am facetime on X-Factor

  • LK3

    I’m so not excited about Cheryl being on the panel.

    I guess at least it means she won’t be on the UK show this season. So I can be happy about that :)

  • http://twitter.com/cara_lee pj

    I’ve never seen the X Factor. I don’t know who she is. I will probably tune into it, just to see if it’s any good. Can someone explain to me what is different about this show than idol?

  • supermart

    Doesn’t really matter that people here don’t know who she is yet. Everybody knows who the Idol judges are this year and they suck. I think she will be popular.

    You might be right– but its a new show that still has to get off the ground. Just like The Voice, I really think X-Factor needed a couple of names on the panel that people would tune in to see. Sure Simon will be a draw, but just how much?

  • fuzzywuzzy

    Gee. What a surprise! Only not. Another judge on a reality singing show whose main focus will be on self-promotion. Ugh.

  • springboard

    I’ve never seen the X Factor. I don’t know who she is. I will probably tune into it, just to see if it’s any good. Can someone explain to me what is different about this show than idol?

    On the UK X Factor (I am not sure whether the format will be identical in the US), there are 4 categories, boys and girls under 28, groups and over 28. So two categories not featured on idol.
    The judges are also mentors for a category and compete (or pretend to) with each other.
    An other difference is that the public votes to determine the bottom two, but the judges decide who is eliminated out of the two.

  • Listening

    Why is he bringing Cheryl to America she had a perfectly good job in the UK she was a star there. Here nobody knows her I woulda preferred someone new. I’m sure we had a lot of B-listers who wanted the job. I just groan thinking about how the show will be all about Cheryl and Simon she’ll be hanging all over him trying to be relevant. Come on like me like me see how much fun Simon and I are having together. It just seems so manufactured and desperate to me, they’re already talking about that’s what’s going to happen. Can Paula really exist in that atmosphere that was more Paula’s role the sweet space cadet who was Simon’s buddy. Hmm maybe the producers want that kind of subtle friction I think Paula and Cheryl will produce.

    But you know this epiphany I just had. What if it’s not Paula I just have this little voice in the back of my head going it is Mariah Carey. I mean didn’t Simon already acknowledge she was going to have a role in X-factor. Also the only reason given she couldn’t be a judge was b/c she’d be pregnant at the time. Well she ain’t pregnant anymore Moroccan (boy) and Monroe (girl) are born (and no don’t like the names). It’s no big deal giving Mariah her own room set it up as a nice nursery and bring the twins on the set with her.

    Oh and we are totally going to get all the current X-factor stars that Simon just signed along w/ Leona, Alexandra Burke and probably JLS. Also Cheryl is probably getting on stage too.

    Sigh bored w/ the judges wanna hear the talent.

  • BootStar

    Yawn.

  • Sassycatz

    Well she ain’t pregnant anymore Moroccan (boy) and Monroe (girl) are born (and no don’t like the names).

    Hey, Mariah and Nick, Moroccan is a nationality, not a name. At least you could’ve named him American because now, if he ever wants to run for president, he’s in deep doo doo.

    As for Cheryl Cole, this whole thing is about payback and “launching” Cheryl as a “star” in the U.S. which, on the face of it, is pretty funny. The so-called U.S. X-Factor is beside the point right now — just a way into the market — but she’d better hope the show’s a success because soon it will be the only point for her.

  • Esqt

    I watched X-factor last season for the first time and I like her. Besides the cute accent, she appeared genuinely nice but not overtly as Paula; very honest w/ her critiques, no ala-JLo fakery; and she seemed to be taking the mentorship & judging seriously. I get a very passionate & dedicated person vibe from her, unlike the 3 Stooges.

  • hapfish

    Just what we need, another British judge on an American talent show!

    Seriously, was there not a single qualified home-grown judge? Heck, I’d even take a Canadian.

  • gangreen29

    I watched X-factor last season for the first time and I like her. Besides the cute accent, she appeared genuinely nice but not overtly as Paula; very honest w/ her critiques, no ala-JLo fakery; and she seemed to be taking the mentorship & judging seriously. I get a very passionate & dedicated person vibe from her, unlike the 3 Stooges.

    I didn’t get that at all while watching. I thought she was faker than fake, and a bit dumb to top it off. If Simon was going to recycle an X Factor judge, he should have brought over Dannii. She doesn’t play his little lapdog like Cheryl though, so that was never going to happen.

  • jumpstart

    BootStar says:

    Yawn.

    My sentiments exactly. The freakin’ show hasn’t even started and I already have viewer fatigue.

  • Sassycatz

    If Simon was going to recycle an X Factor judge, he should have brought over Dannii. She doesn’t play his little lapdog like Cheryl though, so that was never going to happen.

    So, totally agree. Dannii, I actually like and wouldn’t mind having her here. But, she’s not Simon’s poodle, so no dice.

  • springboard

    I didn’t get that at all while watching. I thought she was faker than fake, and a bit dumb to top it off. If Simon was going to recycle an X Factor judge, he should have brought over Dannii. She doesn’t play his little lapdog like Cheryl though, so that was never going to happen.

    This is also how I see Cheryl and Dannii.

  • tomr

    Cheryl is beautiful inside and out! The interesting thing about this show is that the judges NEVER criticize the acts that they are mentoring BUT the other three judges are almost forced into criticizing the other acts. (except Cheryl who has a hard time saying anything critical). If Paula is the 4th judge, she will appear as much more critical and this could really be amusing. She’ll never compete with Cheryl for Simon’s affections tho. I guarantee you that Cheryl will be the one sitting right next to Simon.

  • lorismile

    Personally I think it’s a dumb move. She’s a complete unknown in the USA.

    One think that really helps The Voice is that the judges are well known and relevant now.

    America has no idea who she is.

  • LK3

    Maybe the UK Xf will be watchable again, now that Simon and Cheryl won’t be on it. Dannii is great, and I hope she stays for the new season.

    Simon’s build up to this announcement, and the actuality of it, has been a complete and unsurprising borefest.

  • stwbcross

    It doesn’t matter that America doesn’t know who Cheryl is because X-factor isn’t like the Voice which needed big names to get viewers. Simon is the draw and he will draw the viewers. Where Cheryl becomes important is that she is a pretty good mentor because that’s what will be needed to keep viewers. As for Paula, I think she must be pretty much out of the picture now. After the Voice and Idol this year, Simon should realize he needs at least one big name who is still relevant in the music business on his panel.

    Although Cheryl doesn’t really challenge Simon in the UK version. I think things will be different here because Simon has to step up his own game as “truth teller”. Thank you Mark Burnett. I think the success of the Voice has changed the game for both X-Factor and Idol.

  • muzikghetto

    Now I know why the judging panel of this season’s Idol is not that effective, it’s the absence of a judge from Britain. Having said that, X-Factor USA will be successful!

    I like Cheryl for the fact that she doesn’t patronize Simon’s judgment. She always speaks for her own.

  • muzikghetto

    Was Simon already well-known in America when American Idol was premiered back in 2002? Anyone?

  • Sassycatz

    Was Simon already well-known in America when American Idol was premiered back in 2002? Anyone?

    Nope. But American Idol premiered in the summer during reruns, lower viewership, and the time you burn off series that never caught on. FOX didn’t spend a fortune on it and nobody expected it to become the big hit it became.

    In contrast, X-Factor is premiering during the most highly competitive time of the TV year, when people are back from vacations and tuning in more heavily and ad rates are higher. FOX is spending much more money on the show — including salaries — and, I’m guessing, they expect a heck of a lot more of it than they did of Idol in 2002. Plus, there are now numerous singing/talent shows so the competition is pretty fierce in the genre.

    Under which situation would you risk unknown judges with little star power?

  • Listening

    Muzikghetto, Nope Simon wasn’t known I heard he was initially afraid to be a judge b/c he was afraid the American public wouldn’t get him. Talk about being wrong we loved him.
    Anyway the reason I felt they needed someone known to the American public is b/c whereas when Simon was introduced to us he was the only game in town he was the only place we could get our singing reality fix. Now we have the Voice and Idol if we don’t find X-Factor compelling it’s gone the way of the DoDo Bird. It wouldn’t be the first time American Idol has KO’ed a reality singing show. If it’s not as good as the original (AI) people wont watch.

    I’m still going to watch and still want X-Factor to be a success I just don’t think Cheryl is going to immediately draw any fans to it. She also can hurt the show if the public think well there’s just a bunch of nobodies on the show. The judges on the voice and Jennifer and Tyler they’re draws and immediately got people interested. I think Simon put himself at a disadvantage when he didn’t have to. He’ll be playing catch up not to say Cheryl can’t gain fans but she’ll have to work for it. If Simon had gotten a B list celebrity their fans are a packaged deal.

    Well Simon’s very confident and he’s banking on that he’s right, Good Luck.