New Delhi, Dec. 2 -- Veteran music mogul Simon Cowell has publicly expressed regret about his harsh behaviour during his years as a judge on the singing contest show American Idol.

In a candid interview with The New York Times released November 29, 2025, Cowell said he is "not proud" of some of the insults hurled at hopeful contestants, admitting he "probably went too far."

He said, "I wasn't trying to be a dick on purpose. All I wanted with these shows was to find successful artists to sign to the label. When auditionees failed to meet expectations, Cowell said he would often bluntly turn them down - in his words, "after 10 seconds, 'You can't sing.' Not, 'You're going to be brilliant.'"

The interviewer pressed Cowell on the differenc...