Nearly two decades ago, former “Pop Idol” judge Simon Cowell created “The X Factor” for ITV and thus established one of the most successful singing competition series ever. He served as a judge and mentor during 12 of the show’s original 15 seasons and thus had a hand in fostering the careers of several well-known musicians. The show ultimately went through 15 judges and four hosts, and we have included brief profiles of each in our gallery below.
Reports of a revival of the UK version of “The X Factor” have been circulating since June of 2022. They remain unconfirmed, so it is unclear whether or not Cowell would return in an on-screen capacity. This potential 16th season would also likely involve a move to a different network.
The job of an “X Factor” judge first involved sorting through a given season’s hundreds of auditioners to determine which were worthy of participating in the bootcamp stage. During this time, each judge would be assigned a mentee group of performers who were usually categorized by gender or age. They would then observe and comment on all of the performances during the live elimination rounds until one performer or group was chosen by home viewers as the winner.
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Simon Cowell (judge)
Image Credit: Michael Becker/Fox Seasons 1-7; 11-15 (2004-2010; 2014-2018)
Winning mentees: Steve Brookstein (1); Leona Lewis (3); Ben Haenow (11); Rak-Su (14)
Other work:
– Creator and producer of “The X Factor” (UK)– Creator, producer, and judge on “Pop Idol” (2001-2003), “American Idol” (2002-2016), “The X Factor” (US, 2011-2013), and “America’s Got Talent” (2011-present)
– Guest judge on “The X Factor” (Australia, 2012) and “Canada’s Got Talent” (2022)
– Grammy nominee for Record of the Year (“Bleeding Love,” 2009)
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Sharon Osbourne (judge)
Image Credit: Brian Feinzimer/Variety Seasons 1-4; 10; 13-14 (2004-2007; 2013; 2016-2017)
Winning mentee: Sam Bailey (10)
Other work:
– Founder of Sharon Osbourne Management– Star of MTV’s “The Osbournes” (2002-2005)
– Judge on “America’s Got Talent” (2007-2012)
– Co-host of CBS’s “The Talk” (2010-2021) and TalkTV’s “The Talk” (2022-present)
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Louis Walsh (judge)
Image Credit: ITV Seasons 1-11; 13-14 (2004-2014; 2016-2017)
Winning mentee: Shayne Ward (2)
Other work:
– Creator and manager of the groups Boyzone, Bellefire, Westlife, and HomeTown– Judge on “Popstars” (2001-2002), “You’re a Star” (2003-2004), “Ireland’s Got Talent” (2018-2019), and “The X Factor: Celebrity” (2019)
– Guest judge on “Britain’s Got Talent” (2010-2011)
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Dannii Minogue (judge)
Image Credit: ITV Seasons 4-7 (2007-2010)
Winning mentees: Leon Jackson (4); Matt Cardle (7)
Other work:
– Performer on “Young Talent Time” (1982-1988) and “Home and Away” (1989-1990)– Five studio albums
– Judge on “Australia’s Got Talent” (2007-2012), “Britain’s Next Top Model” (2013), “The X Factor Australia” (2013-2015), “Let It Shine” (2017), and “The Masked Singer Australia” (2019-2021)
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Cheryl (judge)
Image Credit: Swan Gallet/WWD Seasons 5-7; 11-12 (2008-2010; 2014-2015)
Winning mentees: Alexandra Burke (5); Joe McElderry (6)
Other work:
– Member of Girls Aloud (2002-2009; 2012-2013) and solo artist (2009-present)– Guest judge on “The X Factor” (US, 2011)
– First British female solo artist to achieve five UK #1 singles (2014)
– Judge on “The Greatest Dancer” (2019-2020)
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Gary Barlow (judge)
Image Credit: ITV Seasons 8-10 (2011-2013)
Winning mentees: None
Other work:
– Lead singer of Take That (1990-1996; 2005-present)– Six solo albums
– Appointee to the Order of the British Empire (2012)
– Judge on “Let It Shine” (2017) and “Walk the Line” (2021)
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Kelly Rowland (judge)
Image Credit: Rob Latour/WWD Season 8 (2011)
Winning mentees: None
Other work:
– Member of Destiny’s Child (1996-2006)– Four-time Grammy winner: Best Group R&B Performance (“Say My Name,” 2001; “Survivor,” 2002), Best R&B Song (“Say My Name,” 2001); Best Rap/Sung Collaboration (“Dilemma,” 2003)
– Four solo albums and five overall Billboard chart-topping singles
– Judge on “The X Factor” (US, 2013) and “The Voice Australia” (2017-2
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Tulisa (judge)
Image Credit: ITV Seasons 8-9 (2011-2012)
Winning mentees: Little Mix (8)
Other work:
– Member of N-Dubz (2000-2011; 2022-present)– Regular on Channel 4’s “Dubplate Drama” (2007-2009)
– One solo album and three overall UK #1 singles
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Nicole Scherzinger (judge)
Image Credit: Michael Becker/Fox Seasons 9-10; 13-14 (2012-2013; 2016-2017)
Winning mentees: James Arthur (9); Matt Terry (13)
Other work:
– Member of The Pussycat Dolls (2003-2010; 2019-2022)– Grammy nominee for Best Group Pop Performance (“Stickwitu,” 2005)
– Judge on “The Sing Off” (2009-2010), “The X Factor” (US, 2011), “The Masked Singer” (2019-present), and “Australia’s Got Talent” (2019)
– Winner of “Dancing with the Stars” (2010)
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Mel B (judge)
Image Credit: David Buchan/Variety Season 11 (2014)
Winning mentees: None
Other work:
– Member of The Spice Girls (as Scary Spice: 1994-2000; 2007-2008; 2012; 2018-present)– Two solo albums, 10 overall UK #1 singles, and one Billboard Hot 100 #1 single (“Wannabe”)
– “Dancing with the Stars” runner-up (2007)
– Judge on “The X Factor” (Australia, 2011-2012; 2016), “America’s Got Talent” (2013-2018), “The Voice Kids” (2014), and “The Masked Singer” (Australia, 2022)
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Nick Grimshaw (judge)
Image Credit: Jab/WWD Season 12 (2015)
Winning mentees: None
Other work:
– BBC Radio 1 host (2007-2021)– Presenter on a dozen series, including “The Album Chart Show” (2008-2012), “T4” (2010-2012), and “Sweat the Small Stuff” (2013-2014)
– Author of “Soft Lad”
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Rita Ora (judge)
Image Credit: Stephen Lovekin/Variety Season 12 (2015)
Winning mentee: Louisa Johnson (12)
Other work:
– Two studio albums and three UK #1 singles– Female solo record holder for most UK top 10 singles (13)
– Coach or panelist on “The Voice” (UK, 2015; Australia, 2021-present) and “The Masked Singer UK” (2020-present)
– Actress in the “Fifty Shades” trilogy (2015-2018)
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Ayda Field (judge)
Image Credit: Chelsea Lauren/WWD Season 15 (2018)
Winning mentees: None
Other work:
– Actress on “Days of Our Lives” (2000-2001), “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip” (2006-2007), “Back to You” (2007-2008), and “Fresh Meat” (2016)– Panelist on ITV’s “Loose Women” (2016-2017)
– Founder of Ayda activewear brand
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Louis Tomlinson (judge)
Image Credit: Zach Pagano/NBC Season 15 (2018)
Winning mentee: Dalton Harris (15)
Other work:
– Member of One Direction (2010-2016)– Third place finisher (with One Direction) of “The X Factor” season seven (2010)
– One solo album and seven overall UK #1 singles
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Robbie Williams (judge)
Image Credit: Chelsea Lauren/Variety Season 15 (2018)
Winning mentees: None
Other work:
– Member of Take That (1990-1995; 2010-2012)– 13 solo albums and 18 overall UK #1 singles
– Grammy nominee for Best Long Form Music Video (“Live at the Albert,” 2003) and Best Short Form Music Video (“My Culture,” 2003)
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Kate Thornton (host)
Image Credit: ITV Seasons 1-3 (2004-2006)
Other work:
– Editor for “Smash Hits” (1996-1997), “Sunday Times” (1997-2001), and “Marie Claire” (1997-2003)– Presenter on radio shows such as “Let’s Talk” (2005-2020), “Paper Cuts” (2014-2016; 2019), and “Saturday Nights” (2022-present)
– Presenter on over two dozen TV shows, including “Loose Women” (2009-2011), “This Morning” (2009-2012), and “71 Degrees North” (2010)
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Dermot O’Leary (host)
Image Credit: Jab/WWD Seasons 4-11; 13-15 (2007-2014; 2016-2018)
Other work:
– Presenter on over two dozen TV shows, including “T4” (1998-2001), “1 vs. 100” (2006-2007), “The Morning” (2021-2022), and “The Pet Show” (2021-present)– BBC Radio 2 host (2004-present)
– Host of the National Television Awards (2010-2019)
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Caroline Flack (host)
Image Credit: ITV Season 12 (2015)
Other work:
– Winner of “Dancing on Wheels” (2009) and “Strictly Come Dancing” (2014)– Presenter on such series as “TMi” (2006-2008), “Love Island” (2015-2019)
– Subject of “Caroline Flack: Her Life and Death” (2021) following her 2020 death
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Olly Murs (host)
Image Credit: MTV Season 12 (2015)
Other work:
– “The X Factor” runner-up (season six, 2009)– Six studio albums and six UK #1 singles
– Coach on “The Voice UK” (2018-present)
