Simon Cowell, known for his "Mr. Nasty" persona on American Idol, now expresses regret over some of his past comments. The 66-year-old music mogul admitted he "probably went too far" during his time as a judge.
He shared his reflections in a recent interview with The New York Times, published on Saturday, November 29. Cowell stated he wasn’t intentionally trying to be rude.
"All I wanted from these shows was to find successful artists to sign to the label," he explained. His harsh reactions stemmed from judging auditions where contestants lacked vocal talent.
Cowell served as a judge on American Idol from 2002 to 2010. Interviewer Lulu Garcia-Navarro noted that contestants often appeared "absolutely devastated" by his feedback.
"That’s why I changed over time," Cowell said. "I realized I’d probably gone too far." He admitted that long, boring audition days would irritate him.
He understood that producers would highlight his critical remarks over any positive ones. When pressed for an apology, Cowell simply responded, "Well, just for being an asshole."
Despite his regret, Cowell agreed that his sharp personality contributed to American Idol‘s global success. "I’m not proud, let’s put it that way," he commented on his past behavior.
He rarely watches old clips but acknowledges their impact. "The good thing is that they made the shows very popular worldwide," he conceded.
Cowell was part of American Idol‘s original judging panel alongside Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson. He left the show in 2010 to launch the U.S. version of The X Factor in 2011.
During the New York Times interview, he also spoke about former Idol host Ryan Seacrest. Garcia-Navarro expressed bewilderment at Seacrest’s widespread popularity.
"I can’t answer that question. He works a lot," Cowell replied. He noted that Seacrest was extremely ambitious.
"He wanted to be famous. A huge, huge desire to be, you know, very famous," Cowell added, stating they now speak very little.
Cowell also touched on Britney Spears’ brief tenure as an X Factor judge in 2012. Spears wrote in her 2023 memoir, The Woman in Me, that she "absolutely hated" the role.
"Really? It’s a shame," Cowell reacted to Spears’ comments. He emphasized that he had told the network to offer her an exit option if she wasn’t happy.
"Nobody was forcing her," he said. Cowell recalled Spears expressing a dislike for pop music and a passion for other genres. This likely made mentoring the artists challenging for her.