Louis Walsh has launched a blistering attack on Simon Cowell, branding the music mogul a “has-been” and claiming Britain’s Got Talent is “finished” in a scathing rant that has reignited their long-running feud.
The outspoken Irish manager, who served as a judge on The X Factor from its launch in 2004 until its final series in 2019, sat alongside Cowell and Sharon Osbourne during the show’s most dominant years. At its peak, The X Factor regularly drew more than 12 million viewers, making it one of the biggest programmes on British and Irish television.
However, Walsh has now made it clear that relations between himself and Cowell have cooled significantly. Speaking to The Sun, he said: “BGT, who cares?! It’s not what it was.”
“Back in the old days, it was pulling in 12 million, and the whole country cared who won.”
He added: “Now it doesn’t feel like that, who even won last year?”
Walsh also took aim directly at Cowell’s current standing in the industry, describing him as “incredible in his prime” but suggesting those days are behind him. He reportedly claimed the 66-year-old is “surrounded by people who won’t tell him the truth”, and, according to The Sun, allegedly went further in private messages, saying Cowell is “done now” and “surrounded by fakes”.
Cowell, who created both The X Factor and Britain's Got Talent, remains one of the most influential figures in reality television, but there is no denying that viewing figures for the long-running ITV talent show have declined from their heyday. In its early years, Britain’s Got Talent frequently attracted audiences in excess of 10–12 million viewers, launching global stars such as Susan Boyle and groups like Diversity.
@talentreplays That time the world was blown away #susanboyle #audition #liveperformance #bgt #vocals #lesmiserables #voice #singing #throwback ♬ original sound - Talent Replays
In recent seasons, however, overnight figures have generally been significantly lower, reflecting wider shifts in television viewing habits as audiences migrate to streaming platforms.
Walsh’s comments are particularly striking given his long professional association with Cowell. The pair worked closely during the golden era of televised talent competitions, overseeing acts that went on to major chart success, including Westlife and One Direction — both of whom emerged from the reality TV machine that Cowell helped build.
The Irish manager has never been shy about speaking his mind, and in recent years has frequently made headlines for candid remarks about former colleagues and the state of the music industry. His latest broadside suggests there has been little contact between the two men, with Walsh insisting he has not spoken to Cowell in years.
While Cowell has yet to publicly respond to the remarks, Britain’s Got Talent continues to air on ITV and remains one of the channel’s flagship entertainment programmes, albeit in a very different media landscape than the one Walsh nostalgically referenced.
Whether this marks another chapter in their long-running rivalry or simply a case of Walsh speaking bluntly as ever, one thing is clear: the era when talent shows dominated national conversation every weekend may be difficult to replicate in today’s fragmented viewing world.
@videoofficialx #britainsgottalent #xfactor #louiswalsh #uk #talent #xfactoruk #singingchallenge #simoncowell #goldenbuzzer #part2 #xfactorglobal ♬ original sound - Video Official ✔️
Former Boyzone manager Louis Walsh has admitted to making up stories about the band to the press to gain more attention.
The former X Factor judge made this admission in the new trailer for the documentary, Boyzone: No Matter What. Walsh had originally formed the band in 1993, which included Ronan Keating, Mikey Graham, Shane Lynch, Keith Duffy and the late Stephen Gately.
@hellosky “If there wasn’t a story going around Louis would get you one" - how the lines blurred between manager and puppeteer of the press #louiswalsh #boyzonenomatterwhat #boyzone ♬ original sound - Sky
In a clip taken from the show, Walsh has been described as "the master puppeteer of the press", before going on to admit that he would say whatever to gain media coverage from the band.
“sometimes, the boys would read stories in the papers about themselves that weren’t true and they’d say ‘who told them that?’. I did! I told them”, Walsh said.
Ronan Keating elaborated on this: “He believed any story was a good story. He would make up stories constantly about the band, about relationships with girlfriends that were non-existent".
In one case, Louis Walsh fabricated a story that the band were in a plane crash in Australia.
“I had them in a plane crash once in Australia and I forgot to tell the families I made it up", Walsh said, before joking: “There was no plane crash, but it got a good story”.
He added: “I never felt guilty about it. No way, I was promoting them. I was doing my job. But I would do it all again, yeah. Absolutely. I’d do it even more now”.
However, Ronan Keating did admit that this attention took its toll on the band.
“It scarred us, it was hugely scarring. What the media did to us all” he explained.
Louis Walsh managed the band from 1993, until their split in 2000, before going on to oversee Ronan Keating's solo career. The band eventually reformed in 2007 with Walsh as manager.
They eventually cut all ties 2018.
Louis Walsh has had several high profile rows with artists, including Jedward who referred to him as "vile" in a series of rant-filled tweets. Find out more here.
