Simon Cowell has reflected on his harsh criticisms of contestants during his time on American Idol. He said that he is “not proud” of some of his feedback and acknowledged that he had often “gone too far.”
Simon Cowell talks harsh American Idol era
Simon Cowell served as a judge on the popular reality singing competition American Idol for its first nine seasons (2002 to 2010). He became infamous for his blunt feedback, which often left auditioners upset.
In a recent interview, the AGT judge reflected on his time on the show and how the audience perceived him. “I wasn’t trying to be d— on purpose,” Cowell told The New York Times.
“All I wanted with these shows was to find successful artists to sign to the label,” he continued. “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. We would say after 10 seconds, “You can’t sing.” Not, “You’re going to be brilliant.”
He went on to explain what he realized after years of judging the show. “That’s why I changed over time. I did realize I’ve probably gone too far,” He added that one of the factors that influenced his behavior was the “long and boring” shoots he had to sit through, especially during the “audition days.”
“I would get fed up,” Cowell recalled. “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. What can I say? I’m sorry.”
Although he acknowledged that he often crossed the line, he admitted that it was part of what made the show so “popular worldwide.” He said, “That was then. I’m not proud of it, let’s put it that way. I never look at this stuff online, so when I hear about these clips, I’m like, ‘Oh, God.’ But then again, the upside is that it made the shows really popular worldwide.”
After leaving American Idol, Cowell continued to be a major television personality by judging other reality shows like America’s Got Talent and The X Factor US.
Originally reported by Harsha Panduranga on Comingsoon.
