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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Entertainment
Zara Woodcock

Simon Cowell acknowledges X Factor judges' salaries were 'out of whack'

Simon Cowell admitted the salaries The X Factor judges earned were outrageous and 'out of whack'.

The music mogul was the judge on the talent show from 2004 until the moment it was cancelled in 2018.

Some of the main judges on the show included Sharon Osbourne and Louis Walsh.

Dannii Minogue presented from 2007 until 2010 while Cheryl presented from 2008 to 2010 and then again between 2014 and 2015.

The final season had the likes of Ayda Field, Robbie Williams and Louis Tomlinson as main judges.

Speaking to The Sun, he confessed that Cheryl, Robbie, Ayda, Dannii and himself received a lot of money.

Robbie, Ayda, Louis and Simon on the 2018 series (Dymond/Thames/Syco/REX/Shutterstock)

He said: "The salaries got out of whack. I’d be a hypocrite if I said I hadn’t made a lot of money.

"But it got too crazy. And, going back to The X Factor, I’m not even sure artists should be judging other artists. I think it’s in their DNA to want to find a star.”

Although The X Factor got cancelled, Simon still searches for talent on America's Got Talent and Britain's Got Talent - which is returning next week.

He also was the judge on American Idol and the US version of The X Factor.

Meanwhile, fans of Britain's Got Talent recently got a sneak peek at the new season of the talent competition.

The ITV talent show, which will hit our screens on Sunday, April 16, will feature dog tricks, a magician, and even a dinosaur, according to the snippet released.

X Factor was axed in 2018 (GC Images)
He admitted that the judges salaries were 'out of whack' (Getty Images)

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Familiar faces are back with Simon, Amanda Holden, David Walliams and Alesha Dixon in the judging seats.

Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly also return as hosts, watching from the sidelines as the contestants strut their stuff on the stage, in order to win a coveted spot on the Royal Variety Show.

ITV bosses were forced to cancel last year's series as the Covid pandemic and numerous lockdowns made it nearly impossible to audition acts.

In 2020, the semi-finals and final were delayed until the autumn and pre-recorded, with Simon Cowell replaced by Ashley Banjo after the media mogul suffered a nasty accident in the US.

Britain's Got Talent returns to ITV on Saturday, April 16 at 8pm, and continues on Sunday, April 17, at 7.45 on ITV and ITV Hub.

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