Sharon Osbourne says she got canned from “The X Factor” because creator Simon Cowell thought she was too old for the gig.
Osbourne, 66, said on her show “The Talk” on Thursday that she was asked to be a judge on the hit show “The Masked Singer” before it premiered, but had to turn it down because she was under contract with “The X Factor” in England. However, it would turn out that she wouldn’t work on either of those shows because 59-year-old Cowell apparently deemed Osbourne too old for another season of “X Factor.”
“I was signed to do another show. I was signed that I had to go to England, and then Simon Cowell changed his mind and thought I was too old,” Osbourne recalled on “The Talk.” “I was under contract … I said, ‘I can’t I have to go to England to do this,’ and then Simon Cowell goes, ‘She’s old. We need somebody young.’ So if you want young, fire yourself.”
In the fall, Osbourne shared a different story, claiming she passed on another season of the British “X Factor” because she felt she wasn’t “needed.” Her official statement came after she told Howard Stern that the contestants were “little s–ts.”
“After watching the new season ‘The X Factor’ unfold, I’ve seen the new judges finding their rhythm and are doing brilliantly,” she said. “Simon was so gracious to find me a spot on the live shows, but at this point, I really don’t think I’m needed and I would honestly feel odd coming in at this point. So I have decided to pass on the series this year. I wish the show continued success and as much as I love to get my face on TV you will have to do without me this season.”
She initially appeared on “The X Factor” in 2004 but left in 2008 before returning in 2013 and signing a three-year deal in 2016.
