Nicole Scherzinger Pulls Out Of ‘Cats,’ Andrew Lloyd Webber Says He’s “Furious”

Rachel Sonis | May 13, 2016 11:14 am

Nicole Scherzinger has officially pulled out of the Broadway revival of Cats to return to the UK as an X Factor judge.

And needless to say, Andrew Lloyd Webber – the mastermind behind the show, as well as others such as Phantom Of The Opera, Evita and Jesus Christ Superstar– was not happy. In an interview with Economist Radio, the Broadway icon revealed that the former Pussycat Dolls member (who starred in the West End revival of the show in 2014) left just as rehearsals commenced.

“A week before we were due to go into rehearsal for Cats on Broadway, which luckily I’m not producing, she calls me and says she’s decided she wants to do X Factor, having agreed everything,” Webber said.“I mean, she’s crazy. But the American producers just took a view, ‘Well, fine, we’ll get somebody else’, because she’s actually not very well known in America, amazingly. She’s much better known here.”

He continued, “I’m furious because I really believe she’s the most fantastically talented girl and I went out on a limb to get her for the London Palladium here, and it makes me look like an absolute twot with them all. But never mind, there’ll be another girl on Broadway and Nicole will not get her Tony award.”

Scherzinger, who had been a judge for two prior X-Factor seasons, said that she simply wasn’t “able to make it work this time around.”

“I had every intention of doing Cats on Broadway but the contract was never finalized,” she told the BBC. “I adore and respect Andrew. I’m so grateful for our friendship and can’t wait for the opportunity to create more magic together.”

Thoughts? Let us know below, or by hitting us up on Facebook and Twitter.