X IS A FACTOR SIMON COWELL X... 3 JUDGES FROM THE SHOW

Dang Simon Cowell ALREADY?....yep Already 3 In a stunning move, Simon Cowell has cleaned house on his Fox talent competition show -- first firing host Steve Jones and then reportedly dumping both his old pal Paula Abdul and Nicole Scherzinger as judges. At this time, it appears only Cowell and fellow judge L.A. Reid will be returning for the show’s second season.

The show premiered on September 21, 2011 on Fox, and despite Cowell’s assertion that it would garner huge ratings, the show fell short of expectations.  The first news that Jones would not be returning as host  came late Monday afternoon.

 In fact, the Brit  -- who never seemed to connect with the U.S. audience -- took to Twitter to confirm the news, writing:

"I won't be hosting next season Xfactor which is a shame but I cant complain as I've had a great time," Steve tweeted on Monday afternoon. "Good luck to everyone on the show."

In an apparent case of classic Hollywood spin, E! reports that a source close to Scherzinger -- who’s currently rehearsing for her upcoming European tour -- claims it was her decision to leave the show.  "She wants to focus on her music career," a source told E!. "She's spoken to Simon [Cowell] and he's given her his blessing."

 While Fox has confirmed the departures of Jones and Scherizinger, official word on Abdul has yet to come.  There are reports that Cowell wants bigger name judges for his show, ala NBC’s The Voice, as a way to boost ratings. 

The Voice returns on February 6 with judges Christina Aguilera, Cee Lo Green, Adam Levine, and Blake Shelton.   The X Factor hopes to have its new host and judges in place by April, according to thewrap.com.