Nicole Scherzinger has hit out at X-Factor’s ‘over 25s’ category branding it ‘ageist’ and ‘crazy’.
The former judge said on reflection the categories on the hit ITV show implied that the ‘only people that count’ were those under 25.
The Pussycat Doll, 45, first appeared as a judge in 2012 and mentored the over 25s in series 14.
Speaking to the How to Fail podcast, she said: ‘It’s kind of crazy when you think when I was doing the X Factor it was like once you’re 25 you’re in the ‘overs’.
‘Isn’t that crazy? So like, only people who are 25 and below, they’re the only people that count, that need music and art? No!
Nicole Scherzinger has hit out at X-Factor’s ‘over 25s’ category branding it ‘ageist’ and ‘crazy’
The former judge said on reflection the categories on the hit ITV show implied that the ‘only people that count’ were those under 25 (pictured Fleur East)
‘People talk about ageism. I think the failure, the tragedy is that I’m 45 years old, I’ve never been more fit physically, I’ve never been more wise in my mind, I’ve never been more focused, more determined.
‘It’s such a negative thing that we put too much focus and power on.
‘So I was thinking about this and I was like “what’s the opposite of ageism?” The opposite of ageism is agelicious.
‘Agelicious – it is celebrating who you are, everything that brought you here, who you are, where you are right now.
‘That is called life and it’s just like celebrating this is our prime, I’m better than ever, you’re better than ever, we’re wiser than ever, we’re stronger than ever.
‘This is the time.’
The 15 series show ran from 2004 to 2019 with Simon Cowell, 64, as executive producer and judge.
Contestants were split into either a boy, girl, groups or over 25s category after reaching a certain stage.
In series seven, the over 25s were changed to over 28s, before being changed back to over 25s for series eight.
The Pussycat Doll, 45, first appeared as a judge in 2012 and mentored the over 25s in series 14 (pictured alongside Gary Barlow, Tulisa Contostavalos and Louis Walsh)
The 15 series show ran from 2004 to 2019 with Simon Cowell, 64, as executive producer and judge. Mary Byrne, who was in the over 25s category, made through to the final in 2010
Several former contestants Rebecca Ferguson (pictured left) and Katie Waissel (right) have hit out at the show
The over 25s were changed to over 28s again in series nine, and then back to over 25s in series ten.
The over 25s were changed to over 26s in series 11 and to over 28s in series 14.
Nicole’s comments are the latest to speak out against The X Factor.
Several former contestants, including Cher Lloyd, 30, Rebecca Ferguson, 37, and Jedward, 32, claim that they witnessed appalling and exploitative behaviour among some senior executives.
Rebecca who appeared on the show in 2010 demanded a parliamentary inquiry into the music industry and called for greater regulation to protect artists from ‘bullying’ agents and managers.
She hit out at ‘powerful’ agents, managers and other executives and called for an independent tribunal to hold them to account.
In a series of tweets, Rebecca also claimed that she knew two women who had been raped and others who had been driven close to suicide by the industry.
She also accused unnamed executives of ‘covering up sexual assault for your seedy friends’ and ‘grooming 17-year-old boys who are confused about their sexuality’.
Her comments follow similar allegations by The X Factor’s 2010 winner Matt Cardle, 40, who said the show ‘used people’ and insisted it was a ‘miracle’ there had not been many tragedies as a result.
Kate Waissel, 38, a former contestant on the show told the The Mail on Sunday in 2021 that she was sexually assaulted by an unnamed member of the X Factor team, while Rebecca, in a TikTok video two years ago, said the show ‘exploited’ her by selling her ‘a dream’, then ‘taking her money’.
A spokesperson for Syco Entertainment said at the time: ‘We were made aware via the media of Katie’s claims in Autumn 2017 and we immediately contacted her and began an investigation.
‘We were naturally shocked at the allegations and wanted to do anything we could to help – so we asked her to lodge a complaint with us and detail the allegations for that purpose. In the interim we suspended the accused.
‘Despite a number of requests to Katie asking her to detail the claims to us, she chose not to make a complaint over his behaviour. As a result, and without other evidence to the contrary, we were obliged to accept his denial of the claims.
‘We, of course, remain ready and keen to investigate her claims if she so chooses to detail them to us and even though the alleged perpetrator no longer works for either Syco or Sony Music.’
