Simon Cowell crosses Mariah Carey off list of judges for Fox’s ‘The X Factor’

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

Simon Cowell has just scratched a big name off his widely speculated-about list of possible judges for Fox’s ‘The X Factor’ this fall: Mariah Carey.

‘I can tell you officially that Mariah will not be on the panel, mainly because I think she’s still gonna be pregnant at the time we start filming and she’s gonna need some time off,’ Cowell told Show Tracker Monday afternoon during a phone interview. Carey is expecting twins with husband Nick Cannon, the host of NBC’s ‘America’s Got Talent,’ which Cowell produces.

‘She couldn’t start working straight away, and they’re long days,’ he added. ‘But we’re hopeful there will be a role for her -- and I’m not sure what yet -- on the live shows.’ ‘X Factor’ will start filming early rounds with the judges in May but will not produce live shows until the fall.

‘She wants to be involved,’ Cowell said.

The British impresario said that the panel will consist of four judges, with two spots already reserved for himself and record producer L.A. Reid, whose selection was announced last week.

Beyond Carey, recent speculation has centered on hip-hop artist Nicki Minaj.

RELATED:

Complete coverage of ‘The X Factor’ on Show Tracker

-- Scott Collins (Twitter: @scottcollinsLAT)