The producers of ‘X Factor‘ are not playing around! Following shakeups with the judges and host, Simon Cowell‘s pet project has been looking into hiring Mariah Carey as a mentor for some time. However, whispers of Beyonce beating Mimi to the spot are growing louder, and Bey’s rumored paycheck is growing bigger. A lot bigger — to the tune of $100 million!

The New York Post reports that Cowell is offering Queen Bey $100 million to join his panel, which would give her the highest salary on television — even higher than Oprah’s! Word is that Cowell believes Beyonce will give him the draw he needs to compete with his former home and current rival ‘American Idol.’

So what about Carey?  Cowell was determined to find a role for Carey on ‘X Factor’ last season, but after they agreed she’d be his guest during the judges’ home auditions, Hurricane Irene grounded her flight. In December, Carey’s request for a $300,000 payout to sing ‘All I Want for Christmas Is You’ with Justin Bieber was nixed.

“He wants a big-name female star on the panel,” a source said. “Mariah [Carey] is good, but she’s not that hot today. He wants Beyonce because that would immediately give him the bounce needed to beat ‘American Idol.’ ”

While some may speculate that Beyonce is almost too famous for the show, keep in mind that she also just had a baby. Sources say that Bey wants to take off from touring for the first few years of Blue Ivy‘s life, and a weekly television show would allow her to do that while remaining in the public eye. Additionally, Beyonce has experience with ‘X Factor’: She was a guest mentor on the U.K. version of the show (where her bestie Kelly Rowland is currently a judge), and her contestant, Alexandra Burke, went on to win the competition that season.

So far, only Cowell and fellow judge L.A. Reid will definitely return next season. Aside from Carey and Beyonce, rumors of Katy Perry, Cheryl Cole and Nicki Minaj taking over Paula Abdul and Nicole Scherzinger‘s seats have floated around, but nothing has been confirmed.

We can’t wait to see who Cowell picks for his panel! If Bey and Mimi are both picked, it may be tough to fit all that diva attitude in one room — but it will be fun to see if the new moms bond over diaper changing and hitting high notes!

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