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Khloe Kardashian has been asked not to return to the X Factor US, according to a source quoted by the New York Post. Image Credit: Getty Images

Khloe Kardashian has been fired from X Factor US, according to the New York Post. A source said the 28-year-old reality star has been asked not to come back, but her co-host Mario Lopez will return.

Broadcaster Fox, which owns the singing reality show, has not confirmed the news.

If true, Kardashian’s exit will follow judge Britney Spears’ departure from the show. Music honcho LA Reid quit last year as judge.

Rumours are circulating that English singer Cheryl Cole, who was dropped as judge during the first week of the show, is again in the reckoning. Cole filed a $2.3 million lawsuit against the show last December, claiming that it still owed her money. Her and show creator Simon Cowell were judges on the UK version of the show before the launch of the American version in 2011. The show has seen ratings plummet despite the introduction of Spears and teen icon Demi Lovato. Previous judges include Paula Abdul and former Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger.

Cole’s return could be part of the settlement, said the New York Post, which quoted an X Factor spokesperson as saying that producers are yet to decide on the talents for the third season, which will premiere later in the year.