Louis Walsh hints Mel B could be replacing Nicole Scherzinger as judge on the X Factor
Louis Walsh has suggested that Spice Girl Mel B could now be replacing Nicole Scherzinger as an X Factor judge.
Last year the X Factor panel was made up of Nicole, Louis, Simon Cowell and Sharon Osbourne, and Simon recently appeared to confirm the line-up would not be changing for the 2017 series.
He told The Sun: “I don’t think for the moment we’d want to make any changes.
“It worked on X Factor last year and the Britain’s Got Talent panel works really well.”
However, fellow judge Louis has now hinted this could change. The Irish judge explained how the Pussycat Doll may now abandon the ITV gig for a bigger Hollywood project.
According to the Mirror, Louis said: “Nicole might be getting a big movie like Wicked.”
And if this does turn out to be true, Louis reckons Mel B is the best bet for replacement. He continued: “If [Nicole doesn’t come back] Mel B would be a good idea for the panel.”
It was recently reported that Nicole was the only judge to not renew her X Factor contract and so it may well be true that the singer will venture elsewhere this year.
Mel B works alongside Simon on America’s Got Talent in the US and also appeared as a judge on the X Factor in 2014. However, the star was supposedly axed from the series and was later replaced when Rita Ora and Nick Grimshaw joined the panel alongside Cheryl and Simon.
The X Factor will return later this year to ITV.