Britney Spears is reportedly close to a deal to sit next to Simon Cowell as a judge next fall on “The X Factor.”
Her salary would be somewhere between $10 million and $15 million a year, according to the reports.
Cowell, who owns and runs the talent show, has been trying since last fall to fill the judge’s chair that was vacated when Fox decided to drop his ex-“American Idol” cohort, Paula Abdul.
A number of names have been kicked around in the press in the last few months, but it appears now that both Cowell and the network have agreed on Spears.
The addition of Jennifer Lopez as a judge on “Idol” last year was considered a coup that kept the aging talent show afloat just when it was expected to start a steep slide in the ratings.
Cowell wanted to match that star power.