Britney Spears Exiting THE X FACTOR is 'Complete Speculation' According to Show Execs

Rumors of X FACTOR judge Britney Spears exiting the show have run rampant in recent days, following US Weekly's report that the singer would be 'getting the boot' from Fox's singing-competition show. However, a spokesperson from THE X FACTOR told The Hollywood Reporter otherwise today:

"No one has discussed next year's judging panel yet. Any reports otherwise are complete speculation."

An inside source reportedly told US Weekly this week that "Britney will get the boot. Producers wanted her for the long haul, but it isn't working."

One possible reason sited for the hasty departure is the singer's $15 million contract, which sources say is undeserved. "They paid all that for her to say 'amazing' and offer half-claps," a second insider tells Us. A third source says of X Factor's Simon Cowell, "He wanted crazy Britney, but he got boring Britney."

However, in a recent interview with E! Online, fellow judge and creator Simon Cowell said he and Spears had not yet discussed her potential return for the 2013 season.

"I don't know yet, to be honest with you," Cowell said. "I haven't had the conversation with her whether she'd want to, what other commitments she's got."

Judge L.A. Reid also recently announced that he would be exiting the show after participating as a judge for the past two seasons. Judges Paula Abdul, Nicole Scherzinger andCheryl Cole as well as original host Steve Jones have all been on the chopping block in the past year.

Spears' 1999 Jive Records debut, ... Baby One More Time, has sold over 27 million albums worldwide and featured five hit singles, including the title track, which is one of the best-selling singles of all time, making ... Baby the best-selling album by a teenage solo artist and the best selling debut of any female artist in history. She has rightfully earned her title of Princess of Pop.

She went onto more success with her second album, Oops!... I Did It Again in 2000, which cemented her place as the best selling teenage artist of all time. With a total of seven albums, including 2011's Femme Fatale, which yielded three No. 1 singles, Spears has sold over 100 million albums worldwide, earned five No. 1 album debuts, 2.9 million in U.S. single sales, and 24 Top 40 hits. Her awards' shelf is quite heavy as well with one Grammy Award, nine Billboard Music Awards (including Billboard's Best-Selling Female Artist of the Decade for 1998-2008), six MTV Video Music Awards (including a well-deserved 2011 MTV Video Vanguard Award), and countless others. She even received a star on the Walk of Fame at age 21.

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