Sharon Osbourne has finally made her next career move. Last summer, the veteran judge on America’s Got Talent bowed out of her contract, citing a problem with NBC’s treatment of her son, Jack, on the now-defunct Stars Earn Stripes as the catalyst of her decision. She may have been replaced on the NBC series by a Spice Girl, but she’s already moved forward, signing on to judge the U.K.’s popular program The X Factor.
Osbourne should be familiar with The X Factor’s format. The longtime TV personality was actually a jusge on the long-running series during its infancy, remaining on the panel from 2004 to 2007. Interestingly, 2007 was the year Osbourne switched gears and joined NBC’s America’s Got Talent. This is actually a good year for Osbourne to return to the U.K. series, as it is the show’s 10th Anniversary, and her appearance should be a nice reminder of the show’s origins.
According to THR, Osbourne will replace Tulisa Contostavlos. The other judges rounding out the U.K. version of the panel include Gary Barlow, Louis Walsh, and Nicole Scherzinger. For Season 10, the show has a few changes planned, including an added set of auditions.
While the Stars Earn Stripes deal was a little shady, I was sad that Osbourne blamed America’s Got Talent for something that seemed to be about the network not wanting to be liable if Sharon’s son's MS troubled him during a show full of strenuous activity. I get the “punish the big guy” mentality, but I think her skills were extremely well-suited to America’s Got Talent, and I guess now we can just hope she’ll bring the same talent to the U.K.’s X Factor stage.
