Simon Cowell has confessed to feeling deep shame over his treatment of Susan Boyle during her 2009 Britain's Got Talent audition, admitting that he and the other judges were 'awful and horrible'. In a candid interview on the Tales From The Celebrity Trenches podcast, the music mogul reflected on the moment the now-iconic singer first stepped onto the stage.
Cowell acknowledged that he had the power to edit out his harsh reactions but chose not to, believing the episode served as a wake-up call. 'You can't judge a book by its cover,' he said, adding that the panel's behaviour looked 'disgusting' in hindsight. He specifically recalled a look from fellow judge Piers Morgan as one of the worst he had ever seen.
The 2009 audition saw Boyle, then 65, met with sceptical faces from the audience and judges Amanda Holden, Piers Morgan, and Simon Cowell. Despite the initial reception, her rendition of 'I Dreamed a Dream' from Les Misérables quickly became a global phenomenon, leading to a highly successful career with 23 million album sales and multiple number-one hits in the UK and US.
Boyle herself has previously spoken about feeling like a 'circus freak' during the audition, describing the experience as suffocating. Despite losing the competition to dance group Diversity, she returned to the show ten years later and received a warm welcome from Cowell.
Amanda Holden also expressed regret, stating at the time that she was 'thrilled' to be proven wrong and that the panel had been cynical. The frank admissions come nearly two decades after Boyle's life-changing performance.
