Former X Factor judge Louis Walsh recently threw some serious shade at his former colleague Simon Cowell, saying he’s lost his “instinct” and criticizing his long-running show Britain’s Got Talent as it heads into Series 19.
Louis Walsh Shades Former Colleague Simon Cowell
Louis Walsh recently told The Sunthat he and his former X Factor co-star Simon Cowell are no longer in contact. That doesn’t come as much of a surprise considering the shade he threw at Cowell, saying, “BGT, who cares?! It’s not what it was.”
“Back in the old days it was pulling in 12 million and the whole country cared who won,” Walsh continued. “Now it doesn’t feel like that, who even won last year? Cowell was incredible in his prime, I just don’t think he’s got that same instinct now. He’s surrounded by people who won’t tell him the truth anymore.”
In text messages seen by The Sun, Walsh also reportedly wrote of Cowell, “He’s done now,” adding, “He’s surrounded by fakes.” Walsh even criticized Cowell’s partner Lauren Silverman, saying, “He’s a family man now, Lauren’s in charge of his diary, and his phone, I’ve not heard from him in years.”
As for Cowell’s recent Netflix series The Next Act, during which he formed a new boy band called December 10, Walsh quipped, “December 10, they should have been called April 1st. I genuinely hope it works, for the boys’ sake. I know what it’s like when things don’t take off — it’s the artists who feel it.”
“This is typical of Louis,” a source close to BGT told The Sun of his recent comments, insisting, “The show has never been better, last year’s BGT reached over 30 million viewers on ITV and ITVX and over on digital. BGT has had over 27 billion lifetime video views with 4.7 billion of those from the last series alone.”
Walsh has made other controversial comments in the past, including calling former X Factor contestants Jedward “vile” and bragging that he “got £5 million from them.” He also called his former protégé Ronan Keating a “little manufactured pop star, who actually believed his own publicity.”
What do you think of Louis Walsh’s recent comments about Simon Cowell and BGT? Let us know in the comments below.
Words by:
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
