Ellen DeGeneres: Simon Is "Meaner Than I Thought"
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Ellen DeGeneres knew Simon Cowell could be harsh -- but she says she had no idea just how critical he could be until she recently taped an episode.
"He's actually meaner than I thought," she tells Entertainment Tonight.
"It's hard to listen to him tell people things and me not to go, 'You poor thing!'"
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Reports surfaced last week that Cowell, 50, was already clashing with DeGeneres, 52, who makes her Idol debut Feb. 9.
At her first taping, Cowell was more than an hour late -- he had just confirmed he was leaving the show after this season -- and DeGeneres insisted that they begin without him.
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"When Simon showed up, he was pissy that they started without him," a source tells the new Us Weekly (on newsstands now).
But Cowell apologized, and DeGeneres "accepted it right away and was fine," adds the insider.
DeGeneres also is "getting good at delivering bad news" to Idol wannabes, she says.
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"I'm trying to do it in a tender way," she tells ET. "I hate hurting people's feelings, so that, I think, is the hardest part."
She says that there are "good people" this season, and she's had to "fight very, very hard to keep the people that I believe in."
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Adds DeGeneres, "We have a wide variety [of talent] ... somebody for everybody, I hope."
Tell Us What You Think
17I can't stand Simon. British white trash coming here making his millions with his out of style look. Not buttoning his shirt showing his hairy chest and man boobs. He's as hairy as an ape and just gross.
I still refuse to watch with Paula not there. Ellen's not the downfall of AI--the rich execs who refused to negotiate with Paula Abdul over her salary are the one's to blame. Keep in mind, they'd negotiated and forked over a huge amount of money to Ryan Seacrest and then just dumped Paula because she didn't take their first offer. Kara was horrible last year. The show might have survived if Simon had stayed, but it will never make it now.
Simon deserves a punch&kick in the face. I HATE Simon. Simon is a Son of a Bit.ch.,As.s.hole,Di.ck.head. I'll be glad to see him gone from this show.
uuh, have you not watched AI ellan?
I'm a fan of her show, but i'm not psyched about her being on AI. please, i don't need more than one dose of her, i'm already getting annoyed just reading about her
Does Simon think he has to act so arrogant that he has to be 2 hours late. Sir, just because this is your final year on Idol doesn't mean that you have to let down all those producers, hosts, Ellen and the like. And Simon is mean to the singers, sometimes.That's his brand, that's his trademark. He's looking for the best talent. He's not going to sign mediocrity and later find out that the first album tanks. He wants that strong million selling first effort and someone with the it factor. But he shouldn't be coming late like that and I hope he doesn't do something like that when he starts on X factor in 2011.
Hey Simon, where's your medallions? Button your shirt, it's not the 80's anymore.
I love Simon! He says what everyone else is too scared to say.
I dunno... I'm sure if she went through all the city auditions that he had to sit through, she might be just as harsh. There are so many people that just waste their time. And the people know it. I'd be a little peeved too.
Ellen the downfall of American Idol.
Why the fu*k is she a judge... she comes on here and makes fun of a judge that has been on the show since it started!? She is gonna let every dick and harry that has had some sad life story.
This is so ridiculous. I can't believe Ellen is going to be a judge. How can she be a judge of a singing competition? You mine as well have Grover from Sesame Street too. He's just as qualified.
@Why again?: The voters at home aren't necessarily qualified either. Yet, they are the ones who (supposedly) decide who wins. Maybe with Ellen there giving her unbiased, every-man opinion, the show will finally become a talent contest and not a contest to see which of the judges has the biggest ego.
I love Ellen but why in the hell did they put her on Idol? She has no musical background. I think that they should have picked someone else.
Ellen needs to shut up because she shouldn't even be there! She's a comedian! How the hell is she qualified to be a judge on a singing competition??? It's so stupid! AI is a joke now and it will just go down hill
remind me again why Ellen is qualified to judge a singing competition?
It doesn't surprise me to hear this, but I'm glad things are better between Simon & Ellen!