Asia Argento Has Been Fired From “X Factor Italy”

Variety is reporting that Italy’s version of X Factor has slammed their hands down on their buzzers and informed Asia Argento she would not be a part of the show’s upcoming season.

Last week, we learned that Asia paid a $380,000 settlement to an actor named Jimmy Bennett after he threatened to sue her for sexually assaulting him when he was 17-years-old. Asia claimed it never happened (and that she only paid him off because her late boyfriend Anthony Bourdain told her to), whereas Jimmy claimed it definitely did.

Sources tell Variety that Sky Italia and FremantleMedia Italia have decided to pull Asia from the X Factor’s lineup of judges for the upcoming 12th season. No official statement has been issued from the produces or Asia herself, but sources say she’s done.

To make things even more awkward, Asia will actually be present for the first seven episodes before she disappears. The show is set to premiere on September 6, and those first seven episodes have already been shot and show Asia and the rest of the judges auditioning contestants. The live episodes will begin on October 25, and will feature the 12 finalists. That’s when Asia will be replaced, Becky from Roseanne-style, possibly by her daughter’s father, Italian pop singer Morgan. But the only awkwardness Morgan will face is how he explains to viewers why he isn’t a heavily-tattooed brunette woman; Morgan was a judge on Italy’s X Factor from seasons 1 through 3, then 5 through 8.

Variety says many Italian fans took to social media to let Sky Italia and FremantleMedia Italia know how grossed out they were that Asia would be sitting on the judging panel come September. The sources also say there was thought of scrapping the 12th season all together and shooting it over, but that it wouldn’t be fair to the 40,000 contestants that auditioned and the 12 that got in. So they just went with cutting Asia from the live episodes.

I suppose all that’s left is for the show’s editors to get into that pre-shot footage and make sure what they have isn’t gross for people watching at home. It’s probably safe to say no one wants to keep a barf bucket nearby for whenever Asia tells any young male contestants that she “needs to see more of you” as she passes them through to the next round.

Pic: Instagram