If Simon Cowell has anything to do with it, former American Idol judge Paula Abdul may be back in the judging seat on ‘X Factor USA.’

In a recent interview with Nikki Finke of Deadline.com, Cowell dished:

“I’ve always wanted Paula. Always been very vocal about that. I missed her the second she left the show. Always loved working with her even though she can be a pain…We’ve agreed that we would meet as many people as possible, and now we’re reaching the deadline we’ve got to make the decision soon. But I think she’s got a really good shot.”

If all goes according to Simon’s master plan, Abdul will be joining Simon when the show hits screens on the FOX network along with industry veteran L.A. Reid and unknown to the US, British X Factor judge, Cheryl Cole.

‘X Factor USA’ is due to premiere sometime in the fall.

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