Simon Cowell Accuses 'X Factor' Judges of Laziness

Credit: ITV

Simon Cowell is more than disappointed in the judges for the current season of The X Factor UK -- he's downright mad.

Cowell reportedly accused the judges of being "lazy" for failing to put in the hours necessary to properly mentor their acts in the competition. Cowell's wrath fell on Gary Barlow, Sharon Osbourne and Louis Walsh, yet not on Cowell's former X Factor USA co-panelist Nicole Scherzinger, who is generally viewed as the hardest-working judge of the four, since she puts in the most mentorship hours with her acts. Beyond coaching for the live shows, Scherzinger actually hangs out with her contestants, having recently taken singers Abi Alton, Tamera Foster, and Hannah Barrett bowling, to the movies, and on shopping trips.

As for the other three judges, Walsh and Osbourne reportedly leave the country each Monday and don't return to the UK until close to the end of the week, if not just 24 hours before Saturday night's live show, meaning that the judges hardly spend any time with their respective acts. Barlow, meanwhile, is trying to find time to fit judging in with his hectic workload, as he most recently flew out to visit troops in Afghanistan during the week.

“Nicole is proving to be the hardest-working judge," a source said. "Simon is not happy about the situation.”

However, another X Factor source denied the other judges were abandoning their acts, insisting that all four judges take their jobs very seriously. Yet the rumor of Cowell's wrath fits with reports that he's contemplating a restructuring of the panel for next season, as Cowell is allegedly looking to return alongside previous judge Cheryl Cole. The plan is far from set in stone, but it should be interesting to see if the series would be able to catch lightning in a bottle a second time, or if The X Factor's time has well and truly passed.

Via: Daily Star