Simon Cowell Reportedly Wants Rihanna for THE X FACTOR

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Following this week's announcement that L.A. Reid would not return for a third season of THE X FACTOR, creator Simon Cowell is on the hunt for a superstar to fill his judge's chair. According the U.K.'s The Sun (which is a tabloid, so, nothing's definite), Cowell wants pop-diva Rihanna for the position.

Cowell apparently thinks she could help bump up the show's ratings due to her stardom and "feistiness." He's also reportedly prepared to offer her a seat on either the U.S. version of THE X FACTOR (alongside himself, Britney Spears, and Demi Lovato, should they return) or the original U.K. series.

Rumors were also circulating that Cowell wanted Rihanna's on-again-off-again boyfriend Chris Brown for show - but Cowell's representatives assured reporters that was definitely not happening.

Overseas, Cowell told The Guardian that THE X FACTOR (U.K.) would be having a "crisis summet" in order to save the show. In recent seasons, following a high-turnover rate for judges and extremely low ratings, many critics are claiming the show has run its course.

Rihanna made pop music history when "Unapologetic," her seventh studio album in seven years for Island Def Jam, debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 Albums chart, the first #1 Soundscan album of her career. "Unapologetic's" arrival built on the success of "Diamonds," Rihanna's record-breaking 12th Hot 100 #1 hit. Rihanna has six Grammy Awards, three MTV Video Music Awards, six American Music Awards, 18 Billboard Music Awards, and the hard-earned title of Facebook's most-liked public figure with 62 million likes to her name. She was also named the world's #1 social media star by Forbes, with over 2.9 billion views on YouTube/VEVO, the most ever for any female artist, and over 26 million Twitter followers.

THE X FACTOR was created by Syco Television and is produced by Syco Television and FremantleMedia North America. Rob Wade and Nigel Hall are executive producers for Syco Television. Trish Kinane, Richard Holloway and Andrew Llinares serve as executive producers for FremantleMedia North America. "Like" THE X FACTOR on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/TheXFactorUSA. Follow the series on Twitter @TheXFactorUSA and join the discussion at #xfactor.