The Midas Touch?
In June 2024 Simon Cowell launched his search for a new boy band and created a webpage: ‘Simonneedsyou.’ Typically, it was presented as an egotistical stunt, via one of his old favourite publications: the Daily Mail, which pictured Simon pretending to stick a billboard poster of himself in a typical World War I Lord Kitchener propaganda pose, pointing his finger out at the public. As a piece of marketing, it was lazy, overused and unimaginative. Naturally it projected Simon as the focal point for this campaign – with his own face looking out. ‘Simon needs you! Megastars wanted for new boy band!’
His justification for this launch was “the industry tends to focus on solo artists, so it usually takes someone from outside to put a group together.” This is despite the fact that footage of the One Direction auditions showed Nicole Scherzinger putting the band together rather than Simon himself who merely took the credit for many years. When Liam Payne mentioned that the band had been formed around him, he received significant backlash. Simon did not attempt to defend him, or provide Liam with the support that he deserved and it was only when this footage emerged that the public could see that this was indeed the case, thus vindicating him.
Criticism of Simon‘s methods have been severe and have come from many contestants including Will Young who admitted, “I really disliked that man.” Jedward also did not hold back, tweeting ‘There’s a reason Syco is called Psycho! 1D and Little Mix are legally fucked in contracts and can never speak out so we are!’ Another of Jedward’s tweets regarding Simon Cowell blasts him hard: ‘Simon Cowell thinks he’s the Mafia leader of the music industry when in reality he’s nothing but a bad facelift!’ Even fellow judge Sharon Osborne was openly critical: ‘It was kind of like the Wild West.” She felt ‘the whole thing needs to be changed […] You’re handling people’s lives, you’ve got their future in your hands […] You have to be very, very careful.’
Simon was not slow to criticise when he felt that the papers had overreached their bounds, with one showbiz reporter commenting that he ‘drip-fed’ stories to keep his name in the papers and generate public interest in his programs but equally, would be 'straight on the phone’ when he was displeased. The Sun newspaper was a favoured publication simply because of its leadership (4 million papers sold daily). Dan Wootton was the media reporter who rose to prominence as a result of his showbiz reporting and he became Cowell’s mouthpiece during this period.
Simon presents himself as pro-gay: in February 2020 he stated, “50% of the people I have worked with are gay, have been gay, whatever. It’s not even a conscious thought anymore.“ He revealed that when people questioned his own sexuality 20 years back he would say, “Do you honestly think it would be a problem if I was? And that I would hide it like there is something wrong?“
Simon’s hypocrisy here is overwhelming. In 2006 there was criticism of Simon Cowell‘s methods by GLAAD (Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) in America. They accused the programme of homophobia after Cowell told a gay contestant to “wear a dress.“ In the UK, Cowell made the allegedly gay Louis Walsh the subject of his humour using his (alleged) sexuality as a point of mockery, particularly for contestants who had a particular fondness for Walsh. Yet Simon would declare in 2010 that “we are the least homophobic show in the world.“
Simon Cowell’s seeming openness is very much in contrast with contestants’ experiences. Joe McEllderry, Will Young and Louis Tomlinson were portrayed at the start as a particular type: ‘the teen idol’s image is based on self-pity, vulnerability and need - the image is of the young boy next door - sad, thoughtful, pretty and puppy like. What is needed is not so much someone to screw as a sensitive and sympathetic soulmate.” We perhaps refer to this type as the gay best friend today.
Louis Walsh, Simon‘s fellow judge on the X Factor, admitted he would not have signed Stephen Gatley from Boyzone or Mark Feehily from Westlife if he had known that they were gay at the time of signing. When Matt Terry came out as gay in March 2024 he declared he had done so because he was “no longer afraid.” He said he had faced significant pressures in the music industry, “I feel like it was a dark time afterwards. I don’t think I was supported, no one checked on me, no one saw if I was okay.”
There was one time when the X Factor appeared to be happy with gay contestants, even making jokes about it: in April 2012 Louis Tomlinson tweeted “can’t believe I’m going to be a dad! Wow!” One hour later the official X Factor account tweeted, ‘We can confirm that Harry Styles is pregnant. If it’s a girl he’s calling it Anne. If it’s a boy, Juan Direction Styles. #HarryisPregnant
Comments made by the mothers of Louis and Harry quite openly place them together as a couple. Harry‘s mother commented to a fan about Harry‘s T-shirt ‘It says Harry <3 Louis.’ Louis’ mother commented ‘My son returns to his husband tomorrow @Harry_Styles x’
During one of the early One Direction performances at GAY London, the boys were seen to be free and fun-loving on stage; the fun was short lived, however, when the very next day, Louis Tomlinson was taken from his London home and flown to LA for a ‘dressing down’ from Simon Cowell. Louis made light of this during an interview claiming he was drunk on stage and Simon wasn’t happy, but after this event fans noticed a significant difference in Louis - in both his actions, and reactions - all they could do was watch helplessly as his joie de vie vanished.
When the boys wanted to break into America with the band, it was when Simon and his company Syco were concerned about the perception of any of the boys as gay and significant closeting began to take place. Interactions between Louis and Harry were limited and the denials of their romance started. The fandom deemed these implausible and continues to believe in their relationship to this day.
Closeting occurred with other contestants on programmes made by Simon Cowell. Ronan Park was twelve when he appeared on Britain’s Got Talent and in 2019, aged now twenty, he told Attitude magazine: ‘People who I was working with, they didn’t want me to talk about my sexuality. Because I had lots of young female fans, they didn’t want me to jeopardise my career.“
He also spoke of how he was told to alter his physical actions so that he appeared less gay. “I was doing press training and I was sitting there crossing my legs and they were like, ‘don’t cross your legs in interviews.’ There were so many people making me feel like I was wrong to be myself.“
He stated that he had been told that coming out would lose him support: “It was stupid to think like that but I thought like that because other people told me that’s what would happen.“
Whilst on the X Factor and whilst they were under Syco, it is clear that artists were not given due care and consideration: Katie Waissel reports that she was given two types of medication which caused her to faint whilst without shopping. She later discovered that such a combination of drugs should never have been taken simultaneously. Rebecca Ferguson wrote in her statement to the Parliamentary select committee that she was not permitted time off to attend medical appointments, even though abnormal cells had been discovered by a cervical smear. It was six months before the medical professionals managed to catch up with her to undergo treatment. Niall Horan and Harry Styles were seen on stage clearly in need of medical attention, which was not administered at the time.
We have footage showing how Zayn worked excessively; he was made to get up after only 10 minutes sleep to record a section of a song. We see the band recording whilst on the road in hotel bedrooms with mattresses being used the soundproofing.
Clearly this level of work had an impact: Louis Tomlinson developed sleep paralysis as a result of significant overwork, Zayn became very thin and stopped eating, members of the band resorted to alcohol to overcome the pressures. As fans we should ask ourselves - where was the duty of care?
Simon Cowell was responsible for the band’s image: the boy next door, the cute one, the dark mysterious one, the sensible one, the ladies’ man. We have seen the marketing prompts for each boys and Louis’s in particular is alarming as one of the key marketing points for this incredibly talented musician is that he had a model girlfriend. What that has to do with his personality or talent, we don’t know, but it’s clear they wanted to quell the perceived gayness and quieten down how loud Harry and Louis were, especially since Harry was to be marketed as the flirt: the ladies man. A queer young man in a relationship with his bandmate would certainly have thrown a spanner in the works of the Syco/Sony/Modest marketing plans.
If these contrasted with their own personalities this was totally disregarded in favour of the marketing strategy; it was important that they were marketed in a specific way in order to maximise appeal to the teenage audience because at the end of the day the bottom line was money - that was what was important - not the health or wellbeing of these impressionable young men.
With the working title of Simon‘s new venture being ‘The Midas Touch’ it is evident that Simon perceives himself as the king for whom everything turns to gold – a music mogul who can do no wrong. As he positions himself in this light, it is worth remembering Jedward’s scathing tweet.
It is clear that success in this field comes for just a few and this is not the story for most people. Virtually everyone who auditions for such a project is destined for failure and because the image and all musical rights are owned by the company – in this case the apparently newly resurrected Syco - no one will achieve success without Simon‘s input.
The terms and conditions, the privacy statement and contestant release forms are grim reading and reveal that little has changed in terms of restriction and exploitation. Contestants are required to disclose information about political views philosophical views, sexuality and even sex life. Surely asking a sixteen year old child about their sex life goes against all rules governing safeguarding? This falls far far below standards to which other professionals working with minors must adhere.
Teachers and school professionals follow strict guidelines about what can and cannot be discussed; safeguarding training takes place each year without fail. These are not standards that Simon appears to be aware of.
As someone with twenty-five years experience as a teacher in the UK, I am firmly of the belief that the guidelines governing children and young people in the UK should be the same regardless of location or profession.
If this were the case, then Simon Cowell could find himself in opposition to the law of the land, were he to go against them. 16 to 18-year-olds are only allowed to work eight hours a day, for example, and all children and under 18s must be in education or training. Participation in a competition which requires the young person to be available for three months or more falls into neither category.
Syco would argue that the young person is not actually in employment, thus bypassing rules which stipulate legal terms of work, such as undertaking specific health and safety assessments or allowing at least 12 hours rest between one working day to the next. Additionally, participants will not be remunerated for their involvement in the show. Neither are there limitations on working during restricted periods – mostly overnight - because they are not classified as workers. An approved government contract outlining rights, responsibilities, conditions and duties will not necessarily be given. A child employment license issued by the child’s local authority might not exist. The whole process is open to exploitation, therefore, and is fraught with significant difficulty.
I cannot think of a single headteacher who would permit any young person to take three months out of their GCSEs or A-levels to participate in such a venture. Simon‘s aim is one which benefits him entirely and not the young person hoping to become the “next mega star.” Jedward says what we all believe: ‘It shouldn’t be normal that all artists have to face the emotional and legal battles when all they wanted to do is sing!’
Simon makes significant money from his artists and the insanely successful One Direction in particular. As well as all the expected ways, his admission on The Graham Norton Show that he ‘plays the triangle’ and is a member of the Musicians’ Union stoops to a new level of low, as here we have an admission of duplicity; not content with receiving payment for the work carried out, he will do anything he can to screw more money out of his artists and be paid for work that he did not actually do.
He states that his one regret regarding One Direction is that he does not own the name as currently the band members own this themselves. The implication is that next time Simon will own the name and therefore the ability to exploit artists further either through the creation of animation using their images or forcing them to go on tour against their wishes.
Surely the continuation of such a plan is folly, particularly as Katie Waissel and others are undertaking a court case against Simon Cowell? Katie has since set up OWHL (Overseeing the Welfare, Human rights and Liberty for all in the creative industry sector), with a view to providing a much needed layer of protection for artists and creatives in the industry: “I believe I can leverage my past experiences for the greater good and respectfully continue my efforts in building a safer industry as a whole, not only for those new entering it, but to provide a sense of justice and peace to all,” she states.
Ashton Irwin from 5SOS comments on Simon as a manager and this should act as a warning to anyone considering participation in his new scheme: he calls Simon Cowell ‘the worst.’
Says it all really.
BTC - Admin 2
Simon Cowell Sparks Criticism for 'Out of Touch' Claim - Newsweek
Ruthless mafioso or the most generous man in showbiz: who is the real Simon Cowell?
Daily Telegraph 2021
Simon Cowell talks about 'gaydar' while giving his take on Phillip Schofield
Feb 20
BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Gay rights group attacks Cowell
X Factor judge Louis Walsh wins £403,500 payout from The Sun over sex-assault libel - Press Gazette
Former X Factor contestant retrains as lawyer to sue Simon Cowell’s company | The Independent
Simon Cowell Opens Up About His Heartbreaking Loss & His Regrets About One Direction! - YouTube
FRITH and McCABE: Rock and Sexuality (Routledge, 1978)
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