The 30-year-old is said to be raking in $15 million to fill one of the two openings available due to Paula Abdul and Nicole Scherzinger's departures from the reality singing competition show.
Miss Spears' contract will be six times what former judge Abdul made during the show's first season - which was reportedly $2.5 million - but it seems as if Cowell is willing to do whatever it takes to get Britney into the seat next to him.
Simon told Billy Bush in February, “The fact that she’s one of the most talked about — not just pop stars, but people — in the world today means that you’ve got this star power, she’s still hot, she’s still having hit records, and she’s still controversial. There’s a reason for that.”
The former "American Idol" judge could only hope for a a boost in ratings with the pop megastar on board after expecting 20 million viewers for the show's debut season last year, but instead it averaged closer to 12 million.
