Britney Spears, Carly Rose Sonenclar's mentor, leaving 'X Factor'

Thursday January 10, 2013 12:45 PM By Kirthana Ramisetti

Photo credit: AP | Britney Spears and Carly Rose Sonenclar attend the "The X Factor" season finale at CBS Television City in Los Angeles. (Dec. 20, 2012)

Carly Rose Sonenclar earned second place on “The X Factor” this season, and although the 13-year-old from Mamaroneck surely will go on to have a successful entertainment career, her mentor Britney Spears’ future on the show seems to have come to an end.

According to People, a source close to the reality series said that Spears, who joined reality competition in its second season, is leaving the show "to concentrate on her music."

Spears reportedly earned $15 million to join the judges’ panel in the second season of “The X Factor," which also consisted of Simon Cowell, Demi Lovato and L.A. Reid. The show has experienced a revolving door when it comes to the judging panel: Reid announced he was departing the show earlier in January, and original judges Paula Abdul, Nicole Scherzinger and Cheryl Cole were either fired or not asked to return after the show’s first season.

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Despite her often-lackluster judges’ comments and her odd facial expressions, as Carly Rose’s mentor, Spears steered her young protege to take on pop songs by artists ranging from Adele to Beyonce to Justin Bieber, which led to some of the singer’s most memorable performances of the competition.

Carly Rose herself seemed pleased to have the pop star as her mentor. On Dec. 20, the night “The X Factor” aired its season finale, the Mamaroneck teen tweeted, “I love you @britneyspears! Thank you for everything!!!”

When Newsday Westchester polled readers on whether Spears should return to the show, 60 percent -- more than 2,000 votes -- said yes.

Fox has yet to issue a statement about the singer's departure from the show. But at the Television Critics Association press tour event in Pasadena, Calif., on Tuesday, the network's entertainment chairman Kevin Reilly said that he was happy with Spears' performance on the show.

"I thought it went very well," Reilly said . "It was fraught with unknowns. I think [Britney] did a good job. People are fascinated with her and always will be. She’s just an interesting figure who’s lived a unique life, and I thought she brought some of that. And people got to know her a little bit.

"Maybe some people were waiting for more drastic displays – those did not happen," Reilly added. "The ratings were higher last year, but I think the show was better [this season]. She fit in on that panel nicely."  

How do you feel about Spears leaving the show? Let us know in the comments!

Tags: Mamaroneck , Carly Rose Sonenclar , Britney Spears , X Factor , reality TV