Entertainment TV Simon Cowell Says He Would Revive 'The X Factor US' to Find More 'Great Groups' Like Fifth Harmony Simon Cowell's The X Factor was the launching pad for successful groups including Fifth Harmony, One Direction and Little Mix By Rachel DeSantis Rachel DeSantis Rachel DeSantis is a staff writer on the music team at PEOPLE. She has been working at PEOPLE since 2019, and her work has previously appeared in Entertainment Weekly and the New York Daily News. People Editorial Guidelines Published on November 4, 2022 05:29PM EDT It's never say never for Simon Cowell when it comes to an X Factor comeback. The British TV personality and record executive, 63, revealed that he's not opposed to bringing back his singing competition series — so long as it's in the United States. "I think about 24 hours ago, I just came to a decision, which is — literally I was thinking on my own, if I had a choice, I would do it here," he told Access Hollywood's Scott Evans. "I swear to God." Cowell said his thoughts on an X Factor revival were inspired by Fifth Harmony, who placed third on the second season of the show's American version in 2012 and went onto release hit singles including "Worth It" and Work From Home." "I was thinking about Fifth Harmony, I was thinking about Camila [Cabello], and I was just thinking about how much fun we had," he said. "Cause I like working with groups, and there aren't that many groups at the moment, and we found some great groups on that show. And it was like, yeah, I would do it just for that reason." The Syco founder created both The X Factor UK and The X Factor US, the latter of which ended in 2013 after three seasons. Both shows served as a launchpad for a host of successful groups, including One Direction, Fifth Harmony and Little Mix. Simon Cowell. Amy Sussman/WireImage Camila Cabello Jokes She Only Auditioned for 'The X Factor' to 'Marry Harry Styles': 'Embarrassing' In an interview with Extra in August, Cowell reflected on the auditions of some of the show's most famous alumni, including Cabello, 25, who was eliminated after her 2012 solo try-out, but brought back as a member of Fifth Harmony. "She wasn't really supposed to audition," Cowell revealed. "I happened to go backstage, and I saw her crying, asked her why she was crying, and she said, you know, it was too late for her to audition because she was a reserve, whatever that meant." He continued, "I said to her, 'Well, I'm one of the producers, you just got an audition.'" Camila Cabello, Simon Cowell, Harry Styles. Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty; Allen Berezovsky/WireImage; Dia Dipasupil/FilmMagic Nicole Scherzinger Says She's 'Super Proud' of Helping Put One Direction Together on 'X Factor' Harry Styles was another contestant who auditioned solo but was eventually placed into a group — One Direction. Cowell said he remembered the 28-year-old "As It Was" singer's 2010 audition "like it was yesterday." "He was very charming, he was very confident, he was very funny, and I liked him," he said. "I just thought there's something … special about him. You never forget those moments, and, like I said, genuinely if we weren't making people's careers successful, I would never be making these shows today." He continued: "When those moments work, and seeing Camila today or Harry Styles, Leona Lewis, Carrie Underwood, Kelly Clarkson, there's been so many times luckily where I've been there at that moment where their career is going to go in a completely different direction. If we didn't have those things happen, then there'd be no point making the shows."