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Kris Jenner defends Khloe Kardashian's 'X Factor' exit like a proud mama bear

We thought this was old news, but apparently it's just become official: The X Factor is keeping only half of its co-hosting duo. Surprising no one, Mario Lopez will return for Season 3 (click here for a sneak peek); while Khloe Kardashian's been canned. Kardashian herself more or less agreed with the critics who felt that she'd let her nerves get the best of her. In this clip from E!'s Kourtney
Kris Jenner: Khloe Wasn't Fired From 'X Factor'!
Kris Jenner: Khloe Wasn't Fired From 'X Factor'!David Livingston/Getty Images / Today

We thought this was old news, but apparently it's just become official: The X Factor is keeping only half of its co-hosting duo. Surprising no one, Mario Lopez will return for Season 3 (click here for a sneak peek); while Khloe Kardashian's been canned.

Kardashian herself more or less agreed with the critics who felt that she'd let her nerves get the best of her. In this clip from E!'s Kourtney and Kim Take Miami, she told her sisters that she was upset about her first live TV gig, and that she'd been so nervous, she'd wanted to fake a heart attack to get out of it.

So why exactly is her mother, Kris Jenner, chalking up her departure to scheduling conflicts? Let's be kind and call it her mama bear instinct emerging. Click here to watch as Jenner tries to explain away her daughter's firing.

"Khloé had such a good time and she wasn't sure if she was going to come back or not," says Jenner. Undoubtedly, the reason Kardashian wasn't sure was because she'd heard the widespread rumor that the show didn't want her back. But hey, if anyone's allowed to defend Kardashian by spinning half-truths, it's her mom!

As for Ryan Seacrest, he's ever the diplomat, isn't he? "[Hosting is] tough if you've never done it before," the American Idol host (and Kardashians producer) told E!'s Kristin Dos Santos of Kardashian's X Factor exit. "She's not trained at it, she just went out there, and her first gig was a live national show. She's got plenty to do, and I think she'll be just fine."  

Seacrest, meanwhile, makes hosting look easy—a fact not automatically obvious until you see someone fail at it. In that respect, you might even say Seacrest owes her one.

A version of this story originally appeared on iVillage.