Simon Cowell doesn't actually know whether he's coming back for the American Idol finale—which is less than a month away.
When speaking with E! News' Will Marfuggi at the first audition episode of his latest judging gig, America's Got Talent, he confessed that he doesn't actually know when the finale even is. He hopes to return for it, however.
"I think just because I started on the show I should do something," he reveals. Why not? It would be a fitting bookend for the series.
Once Cowell left Idol, he didn't really think about it much due to a combination of moving on and contractual issues, it appears. "Honestly, once you leave something—and there are other issues I can't really talk about—but there's reasons why I don't care," he confesses.
But don't take that as him not caring about the show. After all, it did turn him into a household name and the very model of reality TV's token "tough judge."
Says Cowell, "I'm very grateful for the welcome I got when I first got here. I genuinely am."
The final season of American Idol is ending early this year, its 15th and final season. Things are moving along speedily: After choosing the top 10 singers two weeks ago, two more will go home each week until we reach the end—and crown a final successor to Kelly Clarkson—on Thursday, April 7. American Idol airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. on Fox until the two-show finale week.