{"id":325865,"date":"2025-12-20T03:59:08","date_gmt":"2025-12-20T03:59:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/325865\/"},"modified":"2025-12-20T03:59:08","modified_gmt":"2025-12-20T03:59:08","slug":"x-factor-winner-fires-back-at-simon-cowell-over-as-itv-show-feud-reignites","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/325865\/","title":{"rendered":"X Factor winner fires back at Simon Cowell over as ITV show feud reignites"},"content":{"rendered":"

Steve Brookstein has spoken out following Simon Cowell\u2019s recent comments about former X Factor contestants on The Rest Is Entertainment podcast.<\/p>\n

His remarks come amid renewed scrutiny of Mr Cowell after Katie Waissel, who appeared on the seventh series of The X Factor, accused the music mogul of coercion and a breach of duty of care.<\/p>\n

Mr Brookstein, who won the first series of The X Factor in 2004, responded to a viral clip from the podcast, hosted by Richard Osman and Marina Hyde.<\/p>\n

During the discussion, Ms Hyde questioned Mr Cowell about former contestants \u201calmost unionising\u201d, referencing Ms Waissel\u2019s legal training and her allegations of exploitation.<\/p>\n

\"Steve<\/p>\n

Steve Brookstein won the first series of The X Factor in 2004<\/p>\n

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GETTY<\/p>\n

Mr Cowell responded: \u201cEveryone\u2019s entitled to their opinion, any artist is. The vast majority of people who came on the show made a lot of money and got what they wanted, which was fame.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mr Brookstein later took to X, writing: \u201cI don\u2019t want to be triggered by Simon Cowell. After 20 years, I am still trying to put this behind me.\u201d<\/p>\n

The singer added that his motivation for entering the competition was never fame, but a love of music and the hope of a better life.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnyone who saw me on the show knows I wasn\u2019t in it for fame,\u201d he said. \u201cI didn\u2019t sign up to be vilified…”<\/p>\n

\"Steve<\/p>\n

Steve Brookstein claimed a \u201cmedia hate campaign\u201d damaged his career and credibility<\/p>\n

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GETTY<\/p>\n

His comments prompted an outpouring of support from fans, many of whom referenced the treatment he received during the live final of the show.<\/p>\n

One supporter wrote: \u201cI remember you winning it and that attack by Sharon Osbourne on your character was just awful.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another fan said Ms Osbourne\u2019s behaviour \u201cdidn\u2019t even touch what else happened\u201d, adding that they hoped Mr Brookstein had support while Mr Cowell was \u201cback on the media rounds\u201d.<\/p>\n

During the 2004 grand final, Ms Osbourne launched an unprovoked verbal attack on Brookstein live on air, branding him \u201cfake\u201d, \u201cfull of crap\u201d and an \u201caverage singer\u201d in front of an audience of around nine million viewers.<\/p>\n

\"Katie<\/p>\n

Katie Waissel also called out Mr Cowell on X<\/p>\n

| GETTY<\/p>\n

The X Factor judge later admitted in her autobiography that she had \u201clost it\u201d during rehearsals and deliberately decided to criticise him publicly.<\/p>\n

She subsequently acknowledged she had \u201ctaken it too far\u201d, describing the incident as \u201cprofessional hara-kiri\u201d.<\/p>\n

Mr Brookstein responded to a fan who referenced Sharon Osbourne\u2019s treatment of him by writing: \u201cHit me harder than I first thought. Nasty people.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mr Cowell\u2019s latest podcast appearance forms part of a wider press tour promoting his new Netflix docuseries, Simon Cowell: The Next Act, which launched on December 10, 2025.<\/p>\n

The tour centres on the debut of his new seven-member boyband, December 10, also known as D10, named after the programme\u2019s premiere date.<\/p>\n

Mr Brookstein has alleged that a coordinated media backlash followed his victory, claiming a \u201cmedia hate campaign\u201d damaged his career and credibility.<\/p>\n

He has repeatedly criticised what he describes as a power imbalance between contestants and those running the show.<\/p>\n

His comments come as Ms Waissel continues to speak out against Mr Cowell and his company Syco Entertainment.<\/p>\n

\"\\u200bSteve<\/p>\n

Steve Brookstein: on the X Factor in 2004<\/p>\n

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GETTY<\/p>\n

Ms Waissel, who appeared on The X Factor in 2010, has accused the firm of coercion and failing in its duty of care, claims Cowell has rejected.<\/p>\n

Responding to Mr Cowell\u2019s recent assertion that former contestants \u201chave it in for me\u201d, Ms Waissel said performers did not understand what they were signing up to.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat is not choice. That is coercion,\u201d she said, alleging a lack of independent legal advice and systemic safeguarding failures.<\/p>\n

Several other former contestants, including Cher Lloyd, Jade Thirlwall and Rebecca Ferguson, have also criticised their treatment on the show and its aftermath.<\/p>\n

The debate intensified following the death of Liam Payne in October 2024, with Waissel describing it as a \u201cpainful reminder of systemic neglect\u201d in the music industry.<\/p>\n

Mr Cowell has denied wrongdoing and said contestants knew what they were signing up for, while acknowledging that consent may not have been fully understood in earlier years.<\/p>\n

Mr Cowell has been contacted for a response.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Steve Brookstein has spoken out following Simon Cowell\u2019s recent comments about former X Factor contestants on The Rest…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":325866,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[830,96,128,391,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-325865","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-tv","8":"tag-celebrity","9":"tag-entertainment","10":"tag-music","11":"tag-tv","12":"tag-uk","13":"tag-united-kingdom","14":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/325865","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=325865"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/325865\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/325866"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=325865"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=325865"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=325865"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}