The X Factor WILL return to our screens but may not be on ITV, says Simon Cowell.
The mogul, who pulled the plug on a 2022 return for X Factor, spoke for the first time since reports he had ditched the “tired, out of touch” format.
He confirmed his hit, which ran for 17 years, will be back and he expects an American version to follow.
And he teased that the show may be on a different channel in future. Cowell, speaking at the finale of America’s Got Talent in Los Angeles, said: “Everything is about timing. You have got to know sometimes when to call it a day and then also when to bring it back.
“I just felt it needed a break; it was nothing more than that.
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“You can always make new music shows, which we are. And then when the time is right we will bring it back with someone else. That was always the plan. It was not anything dramatic.”
Cowell, 61, is currently busier than ever with huge TV and stage deals across the world.
He is getting ready for ITV’s new winter show, Walk The Line, as well as overseeing a Las Vegas residency for America’s Got Talent acts.
The showbiz supremo has partnered with Fremantle and MGM Casinos to design a brand-new show at the Luxor resort.
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On Wednesday, magician Dustin Tavella won AGT, making him a headliner in the talent show, which opens in six weeks. Cowell and his partners have spent over £5million and four years mapping out the dream to build his own Vegas theatre to show acts from US TV’s top-rated entertainment show.
Former BGT Champions contestant Preacher Lawson will host America’s Got Talent Las Vegas LIVE.
Cowell said: “Audiences will be able to enjoy some of the most incredible – and memorable – talents we have seen on AGT. They’ll see this year’s winner. To put on an AGT residency in the world capital of live entertainment is a dream come true.”