A colleague came to me this morning with amazing news: American Idol judge Simon Cowell is considering stepping down from the show when his contract expires after next season.

I had the reaction your would expect from an experienced entertainment journalist.

I laughed. Long and hard.

That's because Cowell has always been publicly ambivalent about continuing on Idol, despite making upward of a reported $40-million per season on the show (which I suspect is more than all the other judges, including fourth wheel Kara DioGuardi, combined).

Back in 2005, Cowell reportedly was ready to leave Idol because a clause was expiring in his deal requiring the winner to sign with his record label. He also had two hit shows in England: X-Factor and Britain's Got Talent.

Even a year after working out his current deal with Fox, Cowell was making noises about leaving after the 2010 cycle, telling his then-girlfriend Terri Seymour on Extra: "This is the year I decided that on American Idol, once I've done 10 [seasons], you're time's up.  It's time then to do something new...I think it's then time to bring in new people because I think, you know, 10 years is a long, long time.  And we've just got to make the next three great."

Here's what Cowell told The Daily Mirror most recently to start the buzzing, blaming his work on the two British reality shows for burning him out :

“Most people do one show a year and I do three and they involve a lot of traveling. One may have to go. I don’t know which one. That is the problem, I like all of them. I can’t imagine not doing Britain’s Got Talent and I can’t imagine not doing X Factor. But I guess America is more likely to go because I have got one year under contract. Maybe that will be the end.”

My take: Cowell's always been smart enough to position himself for a quick exit from Idol whenever it suits him. That stance improves his negotiating position and makes it easier to maintain his public face whenever Idol sags to the point that he really does want to jump off the train. And floating the possibility of leaving now only juices interest in all his shows, and Cowell personally.

But right now, Idol is still the hottest show on television.

And despite the fact that Cowell has more money than Croesus these days (look it up), American Idol offers something no other show he's involved with right now can match:

American stardom.

I predict Cowell's ego will keep him on Idol until there's no more money or the show isn't hot anymore.

Which is still a few years away. Unless Fox is dumb enough to think DioGuardi can replace the most appealing jerk on network television.