In a recent interview, American Idol Season 2 runner-up Clay Aiken spoke about his time on the show back in 2003. The singer recalled a time when judge Simon Cowell actually called him ugly when critiquing one of his performances.
Clay Aiken Recalls Simon Cowell Calling Him Ugly
“He said I was ugly. Go look it up. It’s in there. You can watch the footage. I remember,” Aiken told TV Insider about Cowell’s insult during Season 2 of the show.
A clip from one of Aiken’s performances on the show includes commentary from Cowell in which he tells Aiken, “What’s astonishing is how handsome this show has made you. You look back on those early clips, I’m not being rude, but you really were ugly then. And now you’re handsome.”
“I watched some old clips last year. That’s how I remembered he called me ugly,” Aiken explained. “I listened to some of the things he’d said, and I thought, ‘Holy, s**t!’ Did I block it out psychologically? I don’t remember if he had said some mean things.”
The singer shared that, from Cowell’s point of view, being a pop star was “all about the image,” adding, “I think there was an interesting quandary about whether or not America was going to vote for the best singers or are they going to vote for the people who look like pop stars.”
Clay Aiken told TV Insider that Simon Cowell “knew what made good TV in the [early] 2000s,” but added that he’s “totally changed” in the years since he appeared on American Idol. Cowell is known for being much kinder on shows such as America’s Got Talent.
“[Simon] was very supportive of people. I think we knew he wasn’t making [things] up,” Aiken said of his experience with the judge. “He said what he really felt, but that’s why he’s a TV genius, right? He knows how to make TV and he knew exactly what was necessary in terms of pushing buttons like nobody’s business.”
What do you think about Cowell’s remarks on Aiken’s looks? Do you think the judge has gotten nicer since then? Let us know in the comments below.
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Jill O'Rourke Jill O’Rourke is a contributor at Talent Recap, writing news stories and recaps for shows like ‘AGT,’ ‘The Voice,’ and ‘American Idol.’ She graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in English and Film Studies, and has been writing about pop culture since 2012, with previous bylines at Crushable and A Plus. Jill spends her free time binge-watching sitcoms and daydreaming about life as a hobbit
