'I’m not proud of it': Simon Cowell opens up about his harshest American Idol moments

Veteran music mogul Simon Cowell has publicly expressed regret about his harsh behaviour during his years as a judge on the singing contest show American Idol.

Simon Cowell apologises for harsh judging days on American Idol

In a candid interview with The New York Times released November 29, 2025, Cowell said he is “not proud” of some of the insults hurled at hopeful contestants, admitting he “probably went too far.”

He said, “I wasn’t trying to be a dick on purpose. All I wanted with these shows was to find successful artists to sign to the label. When auditionees failed to meet expectations, Cowell said he would often bluntly turn them down — in his words, “after 10 seconds, ‘You can’t sing.’ Not, ‘You’re going to be brilliant.’"

The interviewer pressed Cowell on the difference between honest critique and outright humiliation — noting the abundant compilations online of his most cutting remarks. Cowell acknowledged the weight of his past behaviour. “That’s why I changed over time,” he said. “I did realise I’ve probably gone too far.”

He admitted that audition days were tedious and draining — and in those long hours, his impatience sometimes got the better of him. “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,” he said.

The 66-year-old judge then added, “I got that. What can I say? I’m sorry.”

"That was then. I’m not proud of it, let’s put it that way," Cowell added. "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."

Why was the harshness needed?

For many, Cowell’s cutting persona on Idol helped define early-2000s reality television. Yet behind the sound-bites and editing, he said there was a real person feeling frustration. Asked why the harshness, Cowell replied his priority had always been to find real talent — quick — because the success of the show depended on discovering marketable stars for the record label he represented.

While he no longer sits on ‘American Idol’, Cowell remains a major figure in televised talent shows, currently judging on 'America's Got Talent', and he is promoting a new Netflix series, ‘Simon Cowell: The Next Act’, which begins streaming in December 2025.