Newly appointed judge Nicole Scherzinger made her debut at ‘The X Factor’ auditions in Newark, New Jersey. And, according to Simon Cowell, “she was terrific.”
It seems that Scherzinger has been hired to be the mean judge: Cowell introduced her to the crowd as “our own answer to Cruella de Vil,” the villainous puppy-skinner from ’101 Dalmatians.’
Scherzinger sidestepped questions about the controversy surrounding the exit of former judge Cheryl Cole from the show, telling ‘The Daily Mirror’ that “I haven’t spoken to Cheryl but she is a lovely, talented, sweet girl. … I don’t know how it went down.”
She added that “I found out at the same time as everyone else. I just turned up for work and I’m happy to be here. I just hope she has made the right decisions for her.”
Scherzinger was officially confirmed as an ‘X Factor’ judge earlier this week. She was promoted from co-host when Cole abruptly left the show after taping four rounds of auditions.
An ‘X Factor’ source told ‘The Daily Mirror’ that Scherzinger was a better fit on the judging panel than Cole, who had reportedly been on “frosty” terms with fellow judge Paula Abdul. “Nicole seems more at home with Paula and L.A. Reid and she isn’t slow in coming forward with her opinions. Nicole and Paula seem to get on well and they are not fighting for Simon Cowell’s attention in the way Paula and Cheryl were.”
Speaking to reporters afterward, Cowell had nothing but good things to say about Scherzinger: “She’s a great addition to the panel, she’ll be great. She’s just what we needed — she’s a breath of fresh air.”
For her part, Cole has remained silent about the issues surrounding her departure from the show.
