Pop supremo Louis Walsh says he would be willing to return to the rebooted X Factor with Simon Cowell - but only on this ONE condition... and he says it's a deal breaker

X FACTOR judge Louis Walsh has said he’d consider returning to the rebooted X Factor only on condition he is joined on the panel by his judging wingwoman, Sharon Osbourne.

Speaking exclusively to the Irish Mail on Sunday about a potential return to the reality show juggernaut, music manager Walsh said: ‘Only with Mrs O’.

He was of course talking about his firm friend and former X Factor judge Osbourne with whom he formed a tight bond during their shared stint in the hit talent search show.

The pair were famed for their on-screen antics, which combined frequent disagreements and good natured jibes with their close working relationship blossoming throughout the show’s early years.

Osbourne served as a judge on the panel during the programme’s first four series, before being replaced ahead of the 2008 series.

The pair reunited onscreen last year when they appeared on Celebrity Big Brother, with Osbourne entering the house as the show’s first ‘celebrity lodger’ before Walsh joined her as a housemate shortly afterwards.

The pair were given a joint task on their arrival, selecting three fellow housemates to be placed at risk of eviction based on first impressions.

Osbourne remained in the house for five days as a lodger while Walsh continued as a full housemate for the remainder of the series.

Sources say the friendship between the two has continued since the show ended with the pair remaining in regular contact.

Walsh’s hint at a possible return to judging duties comes days after Sharon’s daughter Kelly Osbourne told GB News on the British National Television Awards red carpet that she would ‘only work with the original trio’ if a modernised X Factor reboot went ahead, referring to her mother, Walsh, and Simon Cowell. 

Her comments followed ongoing speculation over recent months about a potential revival of the format.

Asked whether producers had already made contact about a potential comeback, Walsh remained tight-lipped.

The Mayo man, who is now 73, was a judge on the original X Factor panel from its launch in 2004, alongside Cowell, Osbourne and Dannii Minogue.

He mentored the Groups and Over 25s categories during his time on the show. Outside of X Factor, Walsh has worked as a music manager for several decades, and has managed acts including Westlife, Boyzone and Johnny Logan. 

Walsh’s most recent television work has kept him firmly in the public eye. His stint on Celebrity Big Brother introduced him to a new generation of viewers, many of whom were not born when X Factor first aired.

Clips of his exchanges with fellow housemates circulated widely on social media during the series, with several moments involving Osbourne among the most shared.

X Factor aired on ITV from 2004 until 2018, running for 15 series in total. The show launched the careers of numerous acts, including One Direction, Little Mix, Leona Lewis and JLS, and became one of the most-watched entertainment programmes in the UK during its peak years.

Ratings declined in the show’s later series, and it was eventually axed by ITV in 2018, with a brief celebrity spin-off airing the following year. 

Speculation about a potential revival of X Factor has resurfaced periodically since the show ended, with various reports over the years suggesting broadcasters had held discussions about bringing the format back in some form. 

None of these reports have so far resulted in a confirmed return date.

Cowell, who created the format, has not publicly commented on any plans for a revival.