conflict

Simon Cowell Pulls Out of X Factor Israel

Photo: Snorlax/MEGA/GC Images

Simon Cowell will no longer be a member of the judging panel on season four of X Factor Israel, which he had signed on to film this summer. A spokesperson for the show’s network Reshet told Variety today that “Cowell was canceling ‘for his own reasons.’†The network told Variety that “members of Cowell’s staff had reached out with ‘legitimate concerns’ over his participation in the show after the recent violence between Israel and Hamas in Gaza,†but representatives for Cowell have not replied to requests for comment. In December of last year, Cowell signed on to appear on the series. In a statement at the time, Cowell said, “I can barely wait to see what the Israelis have to offer.†This would have been Cowell’s first time judging an international X Factor outside of the U.S. and U.K. versions.

Simon Cowell Pulls Out of X Factor Israel