Britney Spears has officially signed on to become a judge on the next season of X Factor, Us Weekly confirms. Spears has been negotiating with the show's producers for the past two months, and reports last month suggested that the pop star would join the program for $16 million, though no paperwork was signed at the time.

Spears will replace Paula Abdul on X Factor. Abdul, along with Pussycat Dolls singer Nicole Scherzinger, was let go from the show after its first season in part because lead judge and producer Simon Cowell felt that the singing competition needed greater star power on its panel of judges.

Neither Fox nor X Factor representatives have responded to requests for comment on the signing.