Simon Cowell & Paula Abdul Reunite After Drew’s ‘X Factor’ Departure; Simon Addresses Panel Shakeup Rumors

Drew’s departure from “The X Factor” caused a rift between Simon Cowell and Paula Abdul, after Paula’s vote sealed the contestant’s fate, but Access Hollywood’s Billy Bush helped reunite the pair after not speaking for days.

“Are you mad at her?” Billy asked Simon in his posh trailer on the set of the hit FOX reality series.

“Not now, I was,” Simon said. “I took responsibility [for Drew’s departure,] but look, when you’re close to an artist you get emotional and I was pissed.”

“Do you guys ever have moments where you really do not want to talk to each other afterwards?” Billy asked Simon and Paula.

“It’s been six days,” Paula said of how long they had not spoken to each other.

With Simon’s spat with Paula apparently smoothed over, does the feisty British judge also have an issue with fellow judge/mentor Nicole Scherzinger?

“There’s one rumor that Nicole is going to get switched out, that you’re’ going to move her to the UK ‘X-Factor’ and move Kelly Rowland here,” Billy said.

“That is not true,” Simon said.

And with the competition down to just five contestants, is Simon willing to pick one to win?

“I’m not making any more predictions, Billy, because everything I predict, I’m getting wrong. So, I’m going to keep my big mouth shut,” he added.

“The X Factor” returns tonight to FOX at 8 PM.

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