Gossip: Simon Cowell
Simon Cowell plans to leave American Idol after the current season.
Simon Cowell announced this week that he’s leaving American Idol after the current season. Cowell, whose acerbic put-downs of Idol contestants has become a defining characteristic of the popular talent show, is leaving after nine seasons to produce and judge an American version of The X Factor, a talent competition he developed for British television. The X Factor will begin airing in 2011.
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