Simon Cowell was one of the most talked-about judges on American Idol during the early seasons of the show. It seemed that he always had something snarky to say to contestants no matter how well they performed. When Mandisa auditioned, he didn’t have much to say until she left the room.
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After Mandisa left the audition room to celebrate the fact that she got onto the show, Simon made a couple of comments about her weight. Notably, he asked his fellow judges if they had a bigger stage. This earned him a couple of slaps from Paula Abdul. However, when the future Grammy winner sat in front of him again, she forgave him.
Mandisa Humbles Simon Cowell with Forgiveness
Mandisa walked into the room and took her seat saying, “You didn’t need a bigger stage but you could have gotten a bigger chair.” This let Cowell and the other judges know she had heard his tactless comments. They were likely ready for her to give him a thorough dressing-down. However, that wasn’t the case.
“Simon, a lot of people want me to say a lot of things to you. But this is what I want to say to you,” she began, fixing him in her gaze. “Yes, you hurt me and I cried and it was painful. It really was,” she added. “But, I want you to know that I’ve forgiven you. You don’t need someone to apologize in order to forgive somebody. And I figure if Jesus could die so that all of my wrongs could be forgiven, I could certainly extend that same grace to you. So, I just wanted you to know that,” she concluded.
“Mandisa, I am humbled,” Cowell responded. Then, they stood to hug it out. “I’m just so appalling aren’t I?” Cowell said as they embraced.
After taking his seat with the rest of the judges, Cowell said, “Now that I feel one millimeter small, I’ll carry on with what I’m supposed to be doing.” Then, he delivered the good news that Manisa was moving on to the next round of the competition.
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