Cowell Relinquishes Role as Weekly Judge of U.K.’s X Factor

LONDON: Simon Cowell will be absent from the judging panel of the upcoming season of the U.K.’s The X Factor, though he will continue to be "an enormous presence backstage."

Cowell will be part of the judges on the upcoming U.S. version of the show. Music mogul LA Reid has already been confirmed as a U.S. judge alongside Cowell. Other judges for both treatments have yet to be announced.

As for ITV’s version, the broadcaster said it was "talking about ways in which he can have an on-screen presence later in the series."