The 61-year-old – who’ll be joining Cheryl Cole and Simon Cowell on the panel – made the announcement earlier today, saying:
“I knew I was doing the show but I just signed the deal and I’m very happy with it. At my age you have to keep working!”
Speaking on 2FM, the Irish music mogul hinted that the yet unknown fourth judge was looking likely to be Mel B, but he admitted he was still very much in the dark about the whole situation.
“I think it could be Mel B from the Spice Girls. I love her and she’s quite mad,” he told the presenter.
“She also did both the American version and the Australian versions of X Factor. But people are also mentioning Aleesha and Rita Ora as well.
And giving a nod to Simon ‘softening’ now he’s become a father, Louis joked he didn’t want to be the ‘hard guy’, and said he was still “going to be the sunny guy and put all the Irish acts through.”
Welcome back, Louis!