Simon Cowell is apologizing for his “appalling” treatment of American Idol contestants.
Simon became a household name for his insulting comments towards auditioning contestants.
In an interview with The New York TimesCowell admitted he regretted making derogatory comments to the contestants when the show started in 2002. But he realized he had crossed a line and toned it down in subsequent seasons.
“When I was doing auditions, someone came in and he couldn’t sing. We said after ten seconds, ‘You can’t sing’, not ‘You’re going to be brilliant’ and everything else,” he said.
“So I was frustrated at first because I thought, if we don’t find someone good at the end of these shows, they won’t be put back into business,” he shared.
Lulu Garcia-Navarro, host of The New York Times show The Interview, then referred to the video compilations of his insults.
“Do we have to go through this?” Cowell, who previously admitted his behavior was appalling, cringed. ‘I have to be honest with you. That’s why I’ve changed over time. I mean, I realized I had probably gone too far.”
Cowell noted that the show’s editing also doubled down on its bad moments to gain views.
“I didn’t really like audition days, I still don’t like them, because they’re long and boring. I’d get tired of them. And of course, you know, out of the 100 nice responses, what are they going to use? They’re always going to use. You know, I was in a bad mood. I get that,” he said.
‘What can I say? I’m sorry,” Cowell added.
Explaining his regrets, he said: “Just being a dick… I’m not proud of it. Let’s put it this way. I never look at stuff like this online or anything like that. You know, I’m not someone who especially wants to see myself on camera.”
However, Simon Cowell noted that the “advantage” of the compilations is that “it made the shows very popular worldwide”.
