Simon Cowell has begged Britney Spears to work with him again 10 years after they both sat on the judging panel of the American version of The X Factor.
The music mogul, 63, has made a public plea for pop star Britney, 40, to consider appearing on one of his shows now she is free of her conservatorship, describing the ‘talented’ star as having ‘lovely ideas about how to launch someone’s career’.
He told E! News: ‘We spent so long on the phone talking about X Factor before we did it.
Return to TV screens? Simon Cowell, 63, has begged Britney Spears, 40, to work with him again 10 years after they both sat on the judging panel of the American version of The X Factor
‘There’s a side of Britney a lot of people don’t know. I mean, I was on the phone to her two or three hours every time. She was super smart, lovely ideas about how to launch someone else’s career, which is critical if you’re going to be a judge on one of these shows. So I had a fantastic relationship with her.’
He added: ‘If you’re watching Britney and we make a show, please come back and do it with me. It would be amazing. I adore her.
‘She really is interesting and she’s so talented.’
omeback? The music mogul has made a public plea for pop star Britney to consider appearing on one of his shows now she is free of her conservatorship
Her conservators had power over her financial and medical affairs, plus career decisions and major personal matters such as when she could see her teenage sons Sean, 17, and Jayden, 16.
Britney appeared on The X Factor during this time but is now free to make her own decision regarding her career.
Praise: Simon described the ‘talented’ Britney as having ‘lovely ideas about how to launch someone’s career’ after they appeared on season two of The US version of The X Factor (pictured on the show in 2012)
It comes after Simon said there is a ‘decent chance’ of The X Factor returning in the UK or US in 2024.
The talent show judge is considering bringing the series back to TV screens, and he is said to be more inclined for the programme to head back Stateside, where Simon has a strong working relationship with NBC on America’s Got Talent.
Speaking about who the judges would be if he does decide to resurrect The X Factor, he said: ‘Industry insiders, such as A and R people, rather than artists because they are better judges of talent and less jealous of bright young artists.’
All stars: Britney (second left) appeared as a judge on the US version of The X Factor in 2012 with judges (L-R) L.A. Reid, Demi Lovato and Simon
Simon also pointed out that A and R people are not as ‘ridiculously expensive’ as some stars can be, and admits he would take the show ‘back to basics’ if it returns, after the programme ended up being ‘very complicated’.
He told The Times newspaper: ‘At the beginning it was very straightforward – you audition and then at the end of the series you get to sing with a superstar.
‘So if I was ever going to relaunch it, I would take it back to basics.’
Creator: Simon created The X Factor which first aired on ITV in the UK in 2004, with Simon seen here on the first series of the show
Simon recently admitted he previously ‘went a bit nuts’ when The X Factor – which ran for 15 series and two spin-offs on ITV from 2004 to 2019 – started to become successful.
He told The Sun: ‘X Factor at the beginning, when there was no expectation of us and we could just do what we liked, was great fun. It was when it became successful that everyone, including me, went a bit nuts.
‘It was a time in my life where everything was great on the surface but underneath that it just wasn’t fun, and not great. Everything was skewed wrong.
‘And I never want to feel that way again.
2008: X Factor judges laugh at comically bad Ant & Seb performance
‘Now I think you have to be satisfied with the quality of something, rather than what you’re being judged on – ratings or chart positions.’
In July, it was reported Channel 5 are set to revive The X Factor.
A source said at the time to the Daily Star Sunday: ‘As soon as X Factor was up for grabs, there was interest from a number of the networks.
‘X Factor is one of the most iconic shows in TV history, so it’s no surprise lots of channels were keen. The production company had their pick.
‘After a lot of meetings, execs decided to go with Channel 5.’
All star line-up: It has been claimed Simon has decided ‘the time is right’ to bring back the talent competition which ended in 2018 after 15 years (L-R: Dannii Minogue, Louis Walsh, Cheryl Cole and Simon pictured in 2010)
