Today’s American Idol judging panel is a much kinder, gentler version than the earlier season’s contestants experienced. Before there was Lionel Richie, there was the famously scathing Simon Cowell. (Remember when he told a contestant her performance “sounded like Dolly Parton on helium?”) For every viewer whose jaw dropped at Cowell’s brutal honesty, there were just as many who celebrated him. “Simon Cowell wouldn’t stand for this. We need more mean people back in the show,” one viewer recently wrote on X/Twitter. However, it wasn’t only the singers who incurred the English record executive’s wrath. Kelly Osbourne recently recounted a “really awkward” experience with Cowell during his Idol judging days.
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Kelly Osbourne Says Simon Cowell “Threw A Fit” During ‘American Idol’ Guest Appearance
The Osbourne family certainly rivaled Cowell’s jaw-dropping antics in the early aughts. From 2002 to 2005, MTV documented the daily life of heavy metal legend Ozzy Osbourne, along with his manager and wife, Sharon, and the couple’s children, Jack and Kelly.
The rock n’ roll family took a trip down memory lane during the Tuesday (May 21) episode of The Osbournes Podcast. As the Osbournes recounted their experiences with the “cutthroat” nature of television, Kelly, 39, shared an unpleasant experience with the America’s Got Talent judge.
According to The Masked Singer alum, Cowell “threw a s*** fit” and had the entire family yanked from the American Idol set just moments before they were set to appear on an episode.
“Simon was like, ‘I don’t want them on the show’ and had us taken off during the commercial break,” Kelly recalled.
Later, Sharon Osbourne would join Cowell on the judging panel for the British music competition show The X Factor. The American Idol fiasco never came up during their time as colleagues, Sharon said. She noted that Cowell “probably doesn’t even remember.”
“Probably not,” Kelly replied. “But that was really awkward.”
Will Simon Cowell Replace Katy Perry on ‘American Idol?’
Katy Perry has served as a judge alongside Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie since Idol’s 2018 revival on ABC. However, the “California Gurls” singer recently wrapped up her final season Tuesday (May 21.)
Speculation about Perry’s replacement has run rampant online since the “Part of Me” singer announced her departure in February. However, the show has made no official announcements regarding next season’s judges.
[RELATED: Who are the ‘American Idol’ Season 23 Judges? The 3 Favorites to Replace Katy Perry]
Given his multiple business endeavors, Cowell is highly unlikely to take over Perry’s chair. However, that hasn’t stopped some viewers from hoping. “Bring back somone truthful and mean like Simon Cowell was,” one viewer recently lamented on X/Twitter. “Make American Idol great again!”
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