Cheryl Cole Dropped from ‘X Factor'; Nicole Scherzinger to Take Her Spot as Judge

Big news from Simon Cowell's new singing competition 'X Factor': Cheryl Cole has been dropped from the judging panel and replaced by Nicole Scherzinger, who had originally signed on as one of the show's co-hosts.

TMZ says that producers felt Cole's Geordie accent was too thick for viewers to understand, and that Cole and fellow judge Paula Abdul had a "lack of chemistry."

Cole had already served as a judge during tapings of the Los Angeles and Chicago auditions for the program. It remains to be seen whether she'll be edited out of those tapings when they air in the fall, and whether she'll continue in her role as a judge on the British version of 'X Factor.'

Scherzinger, who previously served as a judge on 'The Sing-Off,' will join Cowell, Abdul and L.A. Reid as the show's four judges and mentors.

The former Pussycat Doll had been rumored as a possible judge before she was announced as a co-host with Steve Jones instead. The Welsh-born Jones will now be the sole host, assuming producers don't suddenly decide that his accent is a deal-breaker.

Watch Nicole Scherzinger Discuss Her Appearance on the British 'X Factor'