Mario Lopez & Khloe Kardashian Officially Announced As ‘The X Factor’ Hosts

With competitor The Voice flying high in the ratings, The X Factor‘s producers felt they needed even more new blood to keep public interest in the show going. Enter Mario Lopez and Khloe Kardashian Odom, who had been rumored to be joining Simon Cowell‘s singing dog-and-pony act for weeks, and are now officially confirmed as the new hosts.

“Alright guys, it’s official… I’ll be hosting @TheXFactorUSA ! Looking forward to working with @SimonCowell and the rest of the amazing team,” Lopez, who’s currently also a host on Extra, tweeted Tuesday (October 16) evening.

Meanwhile, Kardashian tweeted, “The rumors are true… I will be hosting @TheXFactorUSA this season!!! … SO excited!”

In response, X Factor judge Britney Spears fired off welcoming Twitter love: “Welcome to @TheXFactorUSA team, @KhloeKardashian and @MarioLopezExtra – so excited to have you as co-hosts! #WelcomeKhloeAndMario”

Lopez and Kardashian will replace ousted Season 1 hosts Steve Jones and Nicole Scherzinger. Look for the new pair to make their debut when the show’s live rounds kick off in November — and look for Fox execs’ eyes to be firmly planted on the two of them, waiting to see if ratings improve. Since its Season 2 premiere on September 12, The X Factor has only ranked #1 in its time slot once, and that particular night was nearly a month ago.