😔 Simon Cowell reflects on ‘horrible’ way he treated Susan Boyle during iconic Britain’s Got Talent audition

Simon Cowell has opened up about a “wake-up call” moment in relation to Britain’s Got Talent star Susan Boyle that made him ‘hold his hands up’.

The music mogul reflected on how witnessing Susan’s struggles had a lasting impact on him. He said Susan’s experience, as well as his fellow panelists, made him reassess his own choices.

He explained what became a turning point in his life as he looked back at how he and his fellow judges made a snap judgement on Susan Boyle the moment she stepped onto the Britain’s Got Talent stage in 2009.

Simon Cowell on Susan Boyle’s audition on Britain’s Got Talent

The 66-year-old met Susan, 65, when she auditioned for the third series of the show in April 2009. She performed I Dreamed A Dream from the Les Miserables musical and was met with a standing ovation and three shocked faces on the panel.

Simon, alongside Amanda Holden and Piers Morgan, was sceptical the first time he met Susan but she soon proved them all wrong. The Britain’s Got Talent judges misjudged Susan Boyle based on her appearance and Simon Cowell says he regrets this, almost 20 years later.

The West Lothian native went on to win second place during the finale. She lost out to dance group Diversity, but still managed to get signed.

Simon explained during an appearance on the podcast, Tales from the Celebrity Trenches, that he felt he was “disgusting” when he judged Susan.

“We’re all terrible”

He told host Jamie East: “I said, ‘We’re going to just tell it as it is.’ And they went, ‘You look awful.’ I said, ‘We are awful. All of us.’ I mean, that look Piers gives me. It’s just I think of all the looks I’ve ever remembered, that might be the worst.”

Simon added: “And I was just as bad. We all were. And then, you know, thank God for her, it all worked out well. And, of course, I had the ability to cut all that stuff out, but it was a bit of a wakeup call. Which is, you can’t judge a book by its cover.

“We do look disgusting, but you got to hold your hands up at that moment. A lot of people are going to realise in about 24 hours that we’re just horrible. And so we’re going to say sorry. And that’s what we did.”

Simon continued: “I think we all looked at ourselves at that point and went, ‘Oh, God, we’re all terrible.’ I do remember, actually, because she didn’t win, obviously. So I ran up to the stage. I said to her, ‘Susan, I’m going to sign you, just so you know, it doesn’t matter. It really, really doesn’t matter.’ Because I knew she was going to be upset.”

Simon Cowell signed Susan Boyle

Although she didn’t win the competition, Susan did sign with Simon’s label, Syco Music.

She went on to release her debut album, I Dreamed a Dream, and it became one of the best-selling albums of the century. More than 10 million copies were sold, and she went on a world tour.

Susan ended up releasing eight more studio albums under the same label.

She also has reflected on her bond with Simon, calling him her “biggest inspiration”.

The singer told People Magazine: “Simon is the biggest inspiration in my career. He’s been my boss for almost 10 years, and I strive to make him proud. He inspires me to continue and strive for perfection.”