Simon Cowell Wants to Bring Back U.S. Version of ‘The X Factor’
America’s Got Talent judge Simon Cowell has opened up about bringing back his singing competition, The X Factor, claiming that U.S. networks are interested in reviving the format.
The X Factor aired on Fox for three seasons between 2011 and 2013, with the pop group Fifth Harmony being discovered through the series. One of the group’s members Camila Cabello has since gone on to considerable solo success and is now a coach on The Voice.
Across the Atlantic, the reality show was a mega success in the U.K., airing around 445 episodes across fifteen seasons between 2004 and 2018 and discovering acts like One Direction, Leona Lewis, and Little Mix.
Cowell, who created the series and served as a judge, is currently focused on StemDrop, a TikTok project that helps creative people be seen. However, he told The Sun that people still recognize him the most for The X Factor and that U.S. networks have shown interest in bringing the show back. He also revealed the U.K. version would “more likely than not” return in 2024.
“Am I tempted to focus on StemDrop and not bring back X Factor? Personally, yes. The temptation would be to do something new,” he said. “But the funny thing is that when young people approach me on the street, all they want to know is when X Factor is coming back.”
“They all watch it on YouTube. When we stopped the show, I genuinely thought there was no need for it — that everyone would be signed from YouTube,” he continued. “But there are so many people wanting to be signed that we could use that extra platform.”
However, the music mogul explained that he would only do the show again “if we could go back to where the show started.” He added, “There would have to be a genuine opportunity to make it how it was in the early years, and I would only do it with someone who was genuinely enthusiastic about it.”
“I would also bring back the managers and the A&R people instead of having artists judge the talent because I don’t think that’s great,” he continued before adding, “If you have a great party, do you hold it again in ten years or do you do something else?”
