Simon Cowell Wants Britney Spears to Join Him on Reality TV Again: ‘Please Come Back’

One of television’s harshest judges has a soft spot for Britney Spears. In an interview with E! News published on Monday (Nov. 14), Simon Cowell gushed about working with the pop star while they were judges on The X Factor USA for its second season, and revealed that she was an incredibly intelligent force to have on the competition show.

Cowell noted that Spears’ decision to join The X Factor did not come lightly. “We spent so long on the phone talking about X Factor before we did it,” he told the outlet. “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, really 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.”

The English reality TV personality also made a plea to Spears directly. “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,” he said. “She really is interesting and she’s so talented.”

Season two of The X Factor USA premiered on Fox on Sept. 12, 2012, and aired through Dec. 20, 2012. Spears and Demi Lovato replaced judges Nicole Scherzinger and Paula Abdul on the show that season, with Cowell and L.A. Reid rounding out the judging panel. Fifth Harmony finished in third place, while Tate Stevens won first.