Louis Walsh has branded Simon Cowell a 'has-been' and claimed that Britain's Got Talent is finished in a scathing rant this week.
The Irish music manager, 73, served as a judge on The X Factor from its launch in 2004 until its final series in 2019, sitting alongside music mogul Simon, 66, and Sharon Osbourne, 73.
However, Louis has now revealed that he hasn't spoken to Simon in years, insisting that his ITV talent show is not what it once was and claiming the star is no longer in his 'prime'.
Speaking ahead of Friday night's Britain's Got Talent series opener on ITV, Louis, who appeared as a guest panellist on the show in 2010, told The Sun: '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?'
Louis Walsh has branded Simon Cowell a 'has-been' and claimed that Britain's Got Talent is finished in a scathing rant this week (Louis pictured 2024)
The Irish music manager, 73, served as a judge on The X Factor from its launch in 2004 until its final series in 2019, sitting alongside music mogul Simon, 66, and Sharon Osbourne, 73 (all pictured 2005)
However, Louis has now revealed that he hasn't spoken to Simon (seen) in years, insisting that his ITV talent show is not what it once was and claiming the star is no longer in his 'prime'
Elsewhere in the interview, Louis claimed that Simon's fiancée, Lauren Silverman, 48, controls his phone and diary, adding that he hasn't heard from him in years.
He also described Simon as 'incredible in his prime' but suggested he no longer has the same instinct and is 'surrounded by people who won't tell him the truth'.
According to The Sun, Louis allegedly went even further in text messages, reportedly saying Simon is 'done now' and 'surrounded by fakes'.
Louis, who previously managed boy bands including Boyzone and Westlife, also took aim at Simon's new boyband, December 10, formed on his Netflix series Simon Cowell: The Next Act.
He joked they should have been called 'April 1st' instead, before insisting he genuinely hopes things work out 'for the boys' sake'.
Daily Mail has contacted Louis and Simon's representatives for comment.
However, this is not the first time Louis has publicly criticised his former co-star.
In 2024, Louis and Sharon Osbourne launched a shock tirade against Simon while appearing on Celebrity Big Brother, with Sharon insisting she would never work for him again, 'not for all the money in the world'.
Elsewhere in the interview, Louis claimed that Simon's fiancée, Lauren Silverman, 48, controls his phone and diary, adding that he hasn't heard from him in years (Simon and Lauren pictured 2025)
According to The Sun, Louis allegedly went even further in text messages, reportedly saying Simon is 'done now' and 'surrounded by fakes'
Louis, who previously managed boy bands including Boyzone and Westlife, also took aim at Simon's new boyband, December 10, formed on his Netflix series Simon Cowell: The Next Act (L to R) Hendrik Christoffersen, Cruz Lee-Ojo, John Fadare, Josh Olliver, Sean Hayden, Danny Bretherton and Nicolas Alves
The star revealed the X Factor head judge prevented her from landing a huge job on The Masked Singer in the US due to contractual obligations involving X Factor.
As Louis nodded along in agreement, he revealed he hadn't spoken to Simon since the X Factor days, as he added: 'I haven't talked to him at all, nothing. Zero'.
While speaking to The Sun moments before he entered the CBB house, Louis threw shade at Simon's 'stupid clothes and new faces'.
He said: 'I love him. I think the world of him, I really do. I know his faults. I know he's not perfect. He wears stupid clothes, stupid haircut, new faces... his face has changed so much.
'I've always had a fantastic time with him. I wouldn't be here but for him. But I'll gossip as much as I can about him, as often as I can... as safely as I can.
'But we're going to be on mic, so we can't talk that much about everything we know!'
Yet Simon took his remarks on the chin as when asked about Sharon and Louis' involvement on the show, he simply said: 'I think they could both win.'
