Whitney Houston: Was She Going to Be an 'X Factor' Judge?

Whitney Houston was considered for a spot as a judge on The X Factor, current judge, L.A. Reid, has confirmed.

We love Whitney and we would have certainly considered it, but the truth is, it never came to that, said Reid, according to ABC News. You know, there was an interest there, but we never actually had meetings about it...we didn't really get that far. So, I don't think it's proper to comment beyond that.

The late singer was one of a host of names reported to be in the frame to replace the departed Paula Abdul and Nicole Scherzinger as judges on the second season of the reality talent show.

While Houston's untimely death earlier this month has quashed any possibility of that happening, but Reid said he believed The X Factor should still pay tribute to her.

I actually think that's a great idea, he said, according to E Online. I was going to recommend that, that we do a Whitney segment because the music is so amazing and it's so generational and such a challenge for singers.

Fellow judge Simon Cowell added that, as The X Factor will not be back on the air until later in the year, The Voice and American Idol are likely to get in first with the Houston tributes. Cowell did say, though, that the show would still try to honor her in some way.

If we decide to do it, I think we have to do it in a different way, he said. But the important thing is that we are gonna continually pay tribute to Whitney Houston on this show, because we love her, we love her songs and there probably won't ever be a season where you won't hear a Whitney song.

The judging pair also addressed rumors of other stars being considered to sit alongside them on the show, including Britney Spears.

Are we flattered there could be interest? Yes, said Cowell. Other than that, there's gonna be a lot of twists and turns over the next few weeks and a lot of things we're gonna announce. But while you've got 'The Voice' and 'Idol' competing with [us], I've learned a big lesson: keep your mouth shut!

It appears as though the recruitment process is moving along, though, with Cowell saying that discussions will soon be taking place.

We will meet a number of people over the next few weeks, mainly to explain to them that this is big commitment...because of the mentoring aspect, he said. But I can't confirm or deny any of these rumors at the moment.

What is confirmed, however, is that the two new judges will be female.

The only thing you can count on is that we will have two girls, Reid said. That we can confirm.