Report: L.A. Reid Returning For ‘The X Factor’ Season 2

L.A. Reid will reportedly return as a judge for Season 2 of “The X Factor.”

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Epic Records chief signed on for the second season on Friday – just four days after the shocking dismissal of judges Paula Abdul and Nicole Scherzinger, as well as host Steve Jones.

As for possible replacements for Paula and Nicole, THR’s “high-level source” says “X Factor” boss Simon Cowell is considering Mariah Carey, while rumors of Beyonce being offered a jaw-dropping amount of money for the show are merely speculative.

As previously reported on AccessHollywood.com, following Monday’s firings, Simon offered well-wishes for the departing crew.

“I want to say a massive thank you to Paula, Nicole and Steve for being part of ‘The X Factor’ last year. We had a lot of fun making the show together and importantly, we found some real talent and stars,” Simon said in a statement to Access Hollywood on Tuesday. “You do develop friendships with the people you work with and Paula, in particular, is a very close friend and I expect to be working with her on another project in the near future. I’m sure all three are going to have massive success in what they do next, but now is the time to thank them all for everything they did last year.”