Cheryl Cole Speaks Out About 'X Factor' Firing...Was It Really Her Accent?

Just a few days ago, we reported that Cheryl Cole had been fired from the U.S. version of "The X Factor," the new project from former "American Idol" judge Simon Cowell. The project has been plagued with drama from the beginning, as negotiations with Paula Abdul (also a judge) went down to the first day of taping.

The rumors surrounding Cheryl Cole's departure assumed that the reason might have been her slangy British accent, which even Cole admitted during the first day of taping might be hard for U.S. audiences to understand. But honestly, it's really not that bad...and if we as a nation can understand what the heck Steven Tyler is saying on "American Idol," I think we can deal with an English accent.

According to a source from Fox, as reported by the Metro, the actual reason for Cole's firing was her "negative demeanor." Apparently, Cole was supposed to attend the Grammy's and the Coachella music festival in order to raise her profile in the U.S., but instead staying locked up in her hotel room.

If that's true, it might be because of Cole's personal life: just last year, she divorced her footballer husband Ashley Cole. Now she picked up her entire life and moved to Los Angeles, which can't be easy. It's sort of understandable that she might be feeling a little down.

However, Cole could still return to the U.K. version of "The X Factor"...and possible get paid more for it, according to The Mirror. Sure, it probably stings to be Britain's Sweetheart and then be rejected by America (even though we never got to see her!), but I'm sure Cheryl will be fine.

This means that former Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger will likely take over Cheryl's judging spot. The first few days of Los Angeles auditions have already been filmed, though, so that might cause a bit of a headache for the editing team.