Simon Cowell Says He’s ‘Sorry’ for ‘Being a Dick’ on ‘American Idol’

Simon Cowell is looking back at his time on American Idol and the moments he “probably” went “too far” with his insults.

The British TV personality, who served as a judge on Idol from 2002 to 2010, revealed in his Saturday, Nov. 29, interview with The New York Times that he’s “not proud of” some of the insults he was behind during his tenure on the show.

Cowell, part of the original judges panel alongside Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson, told the outlet that he was “sorry” for his behavior — specifically, “being a dick.”

“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,” Cowell, 66, said. “So when all these people were coming in, and they couldn’t sing, I would be like when I used to audition people, and someone would come in and they can’t sing. We would say after 10 seconds, ‘You can’t sing.’ Not, ‘You’re going to be brilliant.’ ”

When asked about the “line between bluntness and humiliation” and of online compilations of his insults on the show, Cowell said, “That’s why I changed over time.”

“I did realize I’ve probably gone too far,” he said. “I didn’t particularly like audition days, because they’re long and boring. I would get fed up. And of course, out of a hundred nice comments, what are they going to use? They’re always going to use me in a bad mood. I got that. What can I say? I’m sorry.”

After being asked to clarify what he was apologizing for, Cowell reiterated: “Well, just being a dick.”

“That was then. I’m not proud of it, let’s put it that way,” he added. “I never look at this stuff online, so when I hear about these clips, I’m like, ‘Oh, God.’ But then again, the upside is that it made the shows really popular worldwide.”

Cowell’s latest conversation with the Times comes ahead of his new series Simon Cowell: The Next Act, which will arrive on Netflix and follow the music executive as he attempts to “create the next global boyband sensation.” Cowell has notably put together One Direction, Fifth Harmony and discovered solo artists, including Leona Lewis.

He told Rolling Stone on Nov. 24, after being asked if he felt he ever “crossed a line into cruelty” on his shows, that “every one of us is gonna say at one point, ‘God, I shouldn’t have said that.’ ”

“But it’s kinder to be really clear to someone who has zero talent. ‘Do not think that if you carry on doing this, something magical is gonna happen and you are gonna become the biggest rock star or pop star in the world, if you can’t sing,’ ” he said. “The show is supposed to be honest, and I’m not going to bullshit these people and give them fake hope.”

He added, “If Eric, my son, said, ‘Dad, I want to be a singer,’ and he sang to me and every note was outta tune, I would say, ‘Darling, you can’t sing.’ I wouldn’t lie to him.”

Simon Cowell: The Next Act will premiere on Dec. 10.