Bill Carter writes a piece about Simon Cowell for the New York Times, speculating on whether he will leave American Idol at the end of next season when his contract is up.
Simon swears his remarks to Britain’s Daily Mirror about leaving Idol were not a negotiating ploy:
“It not negotiating. I have as good a relationship with the people from Fox as you possibly can have. Theyve become friends. I dont bull them. He added, …I dont want to get bored, and I dont want the audience to get bored.
After reading the article, I’m beginning to think Simon’s not bluffing.
What convinced me was this:
…X Factor is sitting in Mr. Cowell pocket with unrealized profit potential. He agreed in his most recent …Idol contract that he would not sell that series in the United States. But if he does leave …Idol, he said, he would be free to sell …X Factor here ‘ and appear on it.
With American Idol in a bit of a decline, I can imagine Simon jumping to bring another one of his successful British shows to America. He’s already infected us with America’s Got Talent, the God-awful version of Britain’s Got Talent–and it gets great ratings–so why not more?
So, maybe Simon is leaving. I can’t even imagine who TPTB would replace him with…
