If Gary Barlow thought he had the last laugh by trumping Louis Walsh to the head judge role again this year, he hasn't, following the reports that the veteran judge will take over from Simon Cowell as head judge on the X Factor USA.
According to The Sun, Louis will fill in for Simon, who is currently suffering with a bout of bronchitis when the X Factor USA auditions arrive in Kansas City later today.
We wonder how L.A. Reid, Britney Spears and Demi Lovato will take to him and whether they will be able to understand his accent...
Of the plans for Louis to cover for Simon, a source said:
"Simon said it was an emergency and Louis was the man for the job. He said he'd sorted out a private jet for him and he was to get on it as soon as he finished up in Manchester [yesterday]."
"He greased the wheels with the US bosses, telling them that Louis was the man who knew more about The X Factor than any other judge."
Louis is no stranger to filling in for his pal as the band manager covered for Simon on Britain's Got Talent in 2010 when he fell ill with the flu.
How will Louis do in the US?
Louis debuts new hair at X Factor auditions
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