The X Factor, Simon Cowell’s ratings juggernaut that first aired in the U.K. in 2004 and has given rise to some of the biggest pop acts of the 2000s, has been canceled by British network ITV.
The broadcaster has confirmed that there are “no current plans” for another season of the show in the U.K. following rumors in the British media that Cowell himself was axing his most famous reality creation after 17 years.
The X Factor, which helped lead to the formation of boy band One Direction and girl group Little Mix, and made Cowell a household name around the world, last aired in Britain in 2018. The show, in which contestants are mentored by judges — including, over the years, Sharon Osbourne, Louis Walsh and Nicole Scherzinger — as they aim to win the public vote, was produced by Fremantle’s Thames banner and Cowell’s own production company, Syco Entertainment.
“There are no current plans for the next series of The X Factor at this stage,” ITV said in a statement to ITV News.
Created by Cowell, The X Factor has aired over 15 seasons and 445 episodes.
Originally devised as a replacement for Pop Idol, which ran from 2001 to 2003, it became arguably the biggest reality franchise on the planet, adapted as a format around the world and spawning a U.S. version that aired for several seasons on Fox from 2011. It was revealed in February 2020 that Cowell would be resting the U.K. version of the program for that year.
Cowell’s next TV venture is Walk the Line, a musical quiz show for ITV and its streaming platform ITV Hub.
