Simon CowellandRyan Seacrestwere thrust into the spotlight at the same time whenAmerican Idoldebuted in 2002 and became a cultural phenomenon. Over 20 years later, the pair "rarely talk."
In a recent interviewwith theNew 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 hostingIdolsince 2002, Seacrest also hostsWheel of FortuneandDick 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 onIdol, 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 seriesThe 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 theNYT, "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 ofThe X Factorfailed to capture the public's imagination and only lasted three seasons. He has since gone on to find success withBritain's Got TalentandAmerica's Got Talent, serving as a judge on both competition series.
While Cowell and Seacrest often made playful jabs at each other on screen, the pair have both denied having a feud. In fact, ina 2017 interview on theEllen 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 fromNick Cannonas host ofAGT.
"I haven't really thought about [hostingAGT]," 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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