It's been reported that Simon Cowell has axed Louis Walsh from the X Factor judging panel.
Cowell is believed to be letting Louis go as he fears fans of the long-running UK talent show are tiring of the Irish judge.
"Viewers had become sick of Louis' constant use of tired clichés and the same old jokes," an insider told The Irish Sun.
"He'd been doing it for 11 years and it seemed like he was just going through the motions."
Cowell is believed to have broken the news to Louis in person. "They are close friends so Simon wanted to do this in the right way," the insider said.
"He didn't want to leave the discussion to executive producer Richard Holloway because that backfired so badly when he sacked Cheryl Fernandez Versini from X Factor USA in 2011.
"Simon spoke to Louis and told him that it’s 95pc certain that he’ll be stood down this year," the insider added.
Walsh previously hinted that his time on the show may be coming to a close saying in an interview with TV3's The Seven O'Clock Show, "I think they're going to change it, go for a few new faces."
He continued: "I think I'm done with X Factor, honestly. My day job is as a manager; I've kind of neglected that. I want to get back to being a manager - I'm working with Shane Filan, he's got a new record coming out and I'm working with Hometown.
"I'd like to get back to where I started off… I never wanted to be on TV, it just happened."
