Is Britney Spears Returning for The X Factor Season 3? Fox Boss Weighs In

Will she or won't she?

That seems to be the question on everyone's mind when it comes to Britney Spears. Rumors have been circulating that the pop songstress will not return as a judge for The X Factor's third season, exiting alongside L.A.  Reid, who officially announced he's not returning to the Fox reality series after two seasons of service.

Fox president Kevin Reilly addressed Britney's future on The X Factor when he took the stage during the network's TCA presentation on Tuesday, and here is what he had to say about the pop icon's status:

"For next year, I don't know," Reilly says of Spears' possible return to the show, but quickly answers "yeah" when asked if he's on board to bring her back. However, Cowell is currently on vacation and "hasn't talked about any of this going forward," Reilly admits.

As for how he feels about her performance during this past season, Reilly says, "I actually thought it went very, very well. It was fraught with unknowns. I think Britney did a really good job. She came on, people remain fascinated by her and always will be. People got to know her a little bit, maybe some people were waiting for more drastic displays of some nature that never came…She tucked in really nicely on that bench."

Back in December, Cowell revealed to us that he hadn't yet made a decision about Britney returning. "I don't know yet, to be honest with you," he said. "I haven't had the conversation with her whether she'd want to, what other commitments she's got."

Though the second season garnered less than stellar ratings, Reilly says, "Last year the ratings were better, but I think it was a better show this year…pound for pound, I thought The X Factor was excellent this year."