# The X Factor: Celebrity
**The X Factor: Celebrity** was a 2019 British television singing competition on ITV, a celebrity edition of *The X Factor* in which famous contestants competed for a recording contract rather than unknown singers. It was created by [Simon Cowell](https://www.edgepedia.org/simon-cowell) as part of an experiment with the format during a year in which ITV aired no regular series of the parent show, running alongside a second spin-off, *The X Factor: The Band*.
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Broadcaster and year | ITV, 2019[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11111164/) |
| Judges | Louis Walsh, Nicole Scherzinger, and Simon Cowell[2](https://www.vice.com/en/article/the-x-factor-celebrity-itv-review/) |
| Host | Dermot O'Leary[3](https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/entertainment/tv-film/1864274/the-x-factor-celebrity-what-did-the-viewers-think/) |
| Format changes | First two weeks fast-forwarded to Judges' Houses; the arena auditions and the Six Chair Challenge were dropped[2](https://www.vice.com/en/article/the-x-factor-celebrity-itv-review/) |
| Winner | Reality star Megan McKenna[4](https://www.expressandstar.com/whats-on/arts-and-entertainment/itv-boss-gives-update-on-future-of-the-x-factor-6023442) |
| Outcome | Neither 2019 spin-off improved the parent show's falling ratings; ITV later said there were "no current plans" for *The X Factor* to return[5](https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/entertainment/talent-shows/itv-x-factor-cancelled-newsupdate/) |
## Place in the franchise
*The X Factor* had first aired on ITV in 2004 and ran annually until 2018, when the singer Dalton Harris won the last regular series[6](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/x-factor-simon-cowell-itv-b1892587.html). At its peak it was one of the biggest shows on British television; the 2010 series drew an average audience of as many as 14 million viewers, and it launched acts including [One Direction](https://www.edgepedia.org/one-direction), Little Mix, Olly Murs, and [Leona Lewis](https://www.edgepedia.org/leona-lewis)[5](https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/entertainment/talent-shows/itv-x-factor-cancelled-newsupdate/). By the late 2010s ratings had fallen for years, and in 2019 Cowell replaced the regular series with two shorter spin-offs, *The X Factor: Celebrity* and *The X Factor: The Band*[5](https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/entertainment/talent-shows/itv-x-factor-cancelled-newsupdate/).
The same year ITV also canceled *The Xtra Factor*, the long-running companion show that had covered the main series behind the scenes[7](https://www.justsimoncowell.com/latest-news/x-factor-spin-off-show-xtra-factor-is-axed). The franchise's British run effectively ended shortly afterwards: the show was rested for 2020, and in July 2021 ITV stated there were "no current plans for the next series of The X Factor at this stage"[6](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/x-factor-simon-cowell-itv-b1892587.html) • [5](https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/entertainment/talent-shows/itv-x-factor-cancelled-newsupdate/).
## Format
The celebrity edition condensed the usual *X Factor* structure. A review in *Vice* described the format as "shortened and tightened up": the first two weeks went straight to Judges' Houses, removing the arena auditions and the Six Chair Challenge, the stages the review called the show's cruellest[2](https://www.vice.com/en/article/the-x-factor-celebrity-itv-review/). Judges were also kept in the dark about the line-up: [Louis Walsh](https://www.edgepedia.org/louis-walsh), Nicole Scherzinger, and Simon Cowell did not know who would be auditioning until each contestant walked out on stage[2](https://www.vice.com/en/article/the-x-factor-celebrity-itv-review/).
The same review judged the result better than the shrinking parent series had become, crediting the reduced format with eliminating the show's harshest stages[2](https://www.vice.com/en/article/the-x-factor-celebrity-itv-review/). Reception elsewhere was less warm; a later account of the franchise's decline described the two 2019 spin-offs as meeting "a muted reception"[8](https://mediamole.co.uk/tv/itv-drops-the-x-factor-after-17-years/24819/).
## Aftermath
The celebrity series did not reverse the franchise's fortunes[5](https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/entertainment/talent-shows/itv-x-factor-cancelled-newsupdate/). [Megan McKenna](https://www.edgepedia.org/megan-mckenna)'s win in 2019 was the competition's only celebrity title[4](https://www.expressandstar.com/whats-on/arts-and-entertainment/itv-boss-gives-update-on-future-of-the-x-factor-6023442). Cowell nonetheless remained tied to ITV, having signed a five-year contract with the channel in December 2019, and his other format, *Britain's Got Talent*, continued after its own pandemic-year break[5](https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/entertainment/talent-shows/itv-x-factor-cancelled-newsupdate/). Internationally, the wider *X Factor* format remained commercially significant; a 2009 Guardian report recorded it selling in 16 countries, and ITV's parent-format owner later described *The X Factor* as its most successful music TV format[9](https://www.theguardian.com/media/2009/oct/26/x-factor-cowell-fuller) • [10](https://www.itv.com/presscentre/presscentre/presscentre/print/pdf/node/5722).
## References
1. [The X Factor: Celebrity (TV Series 2019), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11111164/)
2. ['The X Factor: Celebrity' Is Actually Good, Sorry, Vice (2019)](https://www.vice.com/en/article/the-x-factor-celebrity-itv-review/)
3. [The X Factor: Celebrity: What did the viewers think?, Press and Journal (2019)](https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/entertainment/tv-film/1864274/the-x-factor-celebrity-what-did-the-viewers-think/)
4. [ITV boss gives update on future of The X Factor, Express & Star](https://www.expressandstar.com/whats-on/arts-and-entertainment/itv-boss-gives-update-on-future-of-the-x-factor-6023442)
5. [ITV says there are "no current plans" for The X Factor to return amid axe rumours, Radio Times (2021)](https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/entertainment/talent-shows/itv-x-factor-cancelled-newsupdate/)
6. [The X Factor 'axed' by ITV after 17 years, The Independent (2021)](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/x-factor-simon-cowell-itv-b1892587.html)
7. [X Factor Spin-Off Show Xtra Factor Is Axed!, Just Simon Cowell (2019)](https://www.justsimoncowell.com/latest-news/x-factor-spin-off-show-xtra-factor-is-axed)
8. [ITV drops The X Factor after 17 years, Media Mole (2021)](https://mediamole.co.uk/tv/itv-drops-the-x-factor-after-17-years/24819/)
9. [The scribbled note that changed TV, The Guardian (2009)](https://www.theguardian.com/media/2009/oct/26/x-factor-cowell-fuller)
10. [ITV Press Centre print edition PDF](https://www.itv.com/presscentre/presscentre/presscentre/print/pdf/node/5722)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Unscripted, reality, and web-native series › Reality and competition franchise editions › X Factor franchise (The X Factor, Factor X)*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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