Years after he issued blunt– and sometimes, downright harsh– comments to American Idol hopefuls, former judge Simon Cowell appears to be suffering from critic’s remorse.
In a new interview with The New York Times, Simon reflected on his 2002-2010 stint as a judge on the singing competition show, insisting that he “wasn’t trying to be a d**k on purpose.”
Instead, the 66-year-old– who went on to dish out some of his infamous commentary to contestants while serving as a judge on U.S. version of The X-Factor from 2011-2013 and other talent shows– claims he only wanted these shows “to find successful artists to sign to the label.”
“So when all these people were coming in and they couldn’t sing, I would be like when I used to audition people and someone would come in and they can’t sing,” he explained. “We would say after 10 seconds, ‘You can’t sing.’ Not, ‘You’re going to be brilliant.’”
“I’m not proud of it. Let’s put it that way,” he said later in the interview.
When reminded of the reactions that some of the contestants would have on TV after being on the receiving end of his biting feedback, Simon said those reactions are actually what inspired him to change his judging style “over time.”
“I did realize I’ve probably gone too far,” he said. “I didn’t particularly like audition days, because they’re long and boring. I would get fed up. And of course, out of a hundred nice comments, what are they going to use? They’re always going to use me in a bad mood.
“I got that,” he added. “What can I say? I’m sorry.”
“I never look at this stuff online, so when I hear about these clips [of me insulting contestants], I’m like, ‘Oh, God,’” he said. “But then again, the upside is that it made the shows really popular worldwide.”
While Simon exited ‘American Idol’ in 2010, the show continued to air until 2016 before going on hiatus until March 2018, at which point a revival of the show began airing on ABC. (Season 24 of ‘American Idol’ is set to premiere in January.)
As fans of reality competition shows may know, Simon has been a judge on America’s Got Talent since 2016, where he continues to give feedback to hopeful contestants. While the setting may be similar to the other competition shows he’s appeared on, Simon agrees that he’s “softened” over time– something he credits to his son, Eric, whom he welcomed in 2014 with his long-term partner, Lauren Silverman.
“Yeah, I would say that [I’ve softened],” he said. “I think I’m more confident in myself now.”
RELATED STORY: Seventeen-Year-Old ‘American Idol’ Star Triston Harper & Teenage Wife Welcome First Child
(Photos: FOX; Instagram)
2 Responses
Who TF is this guy? The Simon Cowell I know looks nothing like this weirdo.
He looks kinda sick. He’s lost weight