Simon Cowell and Ryan Seacrest were thrust into the spotlight at the same time when American Idol debuted in 2002 and became a cultural phenomenon. Over 20 years later, the pair “rarely talk.”
In a recent interview with the New York Times, Cowell was asked about Seacrest and why he is so “ubiquitous.” The music mogul said, “I can’t really answer that one,” adding, “He does work hard.”
In addition to hosting Idol since 2002, Seacrest also hosts Wheel of Fortune and Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve, as well as his own radio show, On Air with Ryan Seacrest.
“He was very, very ambitious,” Cowell continued after the interviewer pointed out how lots of people work hard. “I didn’t follow his career, so I don’t know what he’s done.”
Cowell served as one of the original judges on Idol, becoming known as TV’s “Mr. Nasty” for his harsh criticisms and cutting comments. He eventually left the show in 2010 to launch the rival singing competition series The X Factor, a US edition of the show he’d had success with in the U.K.
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After that, he drifted apart from Seacrest, admitting to the NYT, “We rarely talk now. He was very steely about his career — wanting to be famous. This massive, massive desire about being, you know, very famous.”
Cowell’s US version of The X Factor failed to capture the public’s imagination and only lasted three seasons. He has since gone on to find success with Britain’s Got Talent and America’s Got Talent, serving as a judge on both competition series.
RelatedWhen Does ‘American Idol’ Season 24 Premiere?
While Cowell and Seacrest often made playful jabs at each other on screen, the pair have both denied having a feud. In fact, in a 2017 interview on the Ellen DeGeneres Show, Seacrest said he “missed” working with Cowell.
“Working with Simon is always entertaining,” the multi-time Emmy nominee stated while addressing rumors at the time that he’d be taking over from Nick Cannon as host of AGT.
“I haven’t really thought about [hosting AGT],” Seacrest continued. “I never thought the stars would, and they probably would never align, for the two of us to work back together. But, that would be entertaining… I miss Simon. He’s a lot of fun to work with.”
American Idol, Season 24 Premiere, Monday, January 26, 2026, 8/7c, ABC
Simon Cowell: The Next Act, Wednesday, December 10, Netflix
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