‘The X Factor’ UK: Sharon Osbourne return reportedly set

While ITV has not confirmed officially the panel for the next season of “The X Factor,” it is looking more and more like the full crew is set in stone: Sharon Osbourne, Simon Cowell, Louis Walsh, and Nicole Scherzinger. Nicole’s return is feeling more and more like a sure thing, and despite some recent headlines, it also looks like Sharon is pretty close to officially coming back.

According to a new report coming in from The Sun, Osbourne may be getting a deal that is worth as much as two million pounds (or close to $2.9 million) in order to convince her to come back. If this is true, this is a rather hefty deal no matter what reality show you’re talking about. Still, we’ve seen bigger contracts. Cowell was paid a ton for the final seasons he was on “American Idol,” while Mariah Carey and Jennifer Lopez were paid multiple times more than Sharon for their roles on the show. Another example of this is Howard Stern on “America’s Got Talent.”

Is Sharon worth it? We’d say absolutely, if for no other reason than that she is consistently entertaining, and she and Louis Walsh in particular have great chemistry. Yet, the one fear that we have moving forward is that with Sharon’s busy schedule, how much time is she going to have to help out some of her artists? She made it work for Sam Bailey, but with her travel schedule it has to be more challenging than with those who can stay in the United Kingdom.

The new season will likely premiere on the network in late summer.

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