Has Britney agreed X Factor USA deal?

Has Britney agreed X Factor USA deal?
Has Britney agreed X Factor USA deal? (Image credit: AP/Press Association Images)

Britney Spears has reportedly agreed a deal with Simon Cowell to appear as a judge on the new series of The X Factor USA. The singer has long been rumoured to be in talks for the show, but now multiple US sources have reported she has signed up and could become the highest paid judge in reality TV. Britney has apparently agreed a pay deal of £9.4m a year, according to E! Online, which is three million dollars more than Jennifer Lopez earns for American Idol. However, The Toxic singer signing on the dotted line may not be enough to seal the deal. After suffering a breakdown in 2008, Britney temporarily lost custody of her children as well as her own legal autonomy. The 30-year-old is now overseen by a team of legal conservators who include her father, Jamie Spears, a lawyer and a judge. They have to approve the X Factor contract for Britney to join the show. Earlier this year Simon Cowell said: "I'm fascinated by [Britney]. The fact that she's one of the most talked about - not just pop stars - but people in the world today, means that you've got this star power. "This girl has got resilience. I would think that if she's managed to sustain a family, a career, which is tough, [X Factor would be] a walk in the park." Simon and music executive LA Reid are already confirmed for the panel, but two more judges must join them after last year's judges, Nicole Scherzinger and Paula Abdul, were axed. A spokesperson for the X Factor refused to confirm or deny the show was in talks with Britney.

Patrick McLennan

Patrick McLennan is a London-based journalist and documentary maker who has worked as a writer, sub-editor, digital editor and TV producer in the UK and New Zealand. His CV includes spells as a news producer at the BBC and TVNZ, as well as web editor for Time Inc UK. He has produced TV news and entertainment features on personalities as diverse as Nick Cave, Tom Hardy, Clive James, Jodie Marsh and Kevin Bacon and he co-produced and directed The Ponds, which has screened in UK cinemas, BBC Four and is currently available on Netflix. 


An entertainment writer with a diverse taste in TV and film, he lists Seinfeld, The Sopranos, The Chase, The Thick of It and Detectorists among his favourite shows, but steers well clear of most sci-fi.