Simon Cowell Responds to ‘Staged’ Show Accusations as Richard Osman Throws Shade at Netflix Sensation

Table of Contents

• Simon's Response to Staging Claims
• Introduction of New Boyband December 10
• Podcast Appearance and Discussion
• Reality of Auditions

SIMON Cowell has responded to accusations that his Netflix show, The Next Act, was staged after he formed a new boyband called December 10.

This week, the group consists of Cruz, 19, Danny, 16, Hendrick, 19, John, 17, Josh, 17, Nicolas, 16, and Sean, 19.

The 66-year-old creator was compelled to refute the allegations that the show responsible for forming the band was fabricated.

During a guest appearance on The Rest is Entertainment podcast, the host remarked: “I expected to see something with a bit more authenticity, if that makes sense.

“You’re exceptionally skilled at controlling narratives and understanding what people desire and how to deliver it to them.

“I wondered if your involvement in producing the show meant that we missed out on some genuine authenticity, as I felt there were moments when you were saying, ‘oh, this is a major issue, oh, I’m uncertain what’s going to happen here,’ and I thought, ‘I believe you do know what’s going to happen here.’”

But Simon countered: “No, Richard… I promise I didn’t. Absolutely not. I was in a bit of a bubble; I had a gut feeling that we needed to review the numbers.

“I assure you, everything was genuine; what you see is what occurred. There were no retakes.”

However, Richard’s co-host, Marina Hyde, questioned why 'bad' auditions were featured, reminiscent of Simon’s The X Factor.

She stated: “But why did we see some rather unfortunate, less talented individuals?

“Much like we always used to in that slight X Factor theatre of cruelty way, where we just laugh at them, and you get to be rude to them.”

“By the time of editing, perhaps you didn’t need to include the unfortunate untalented ones at all.”

Nevertheless, Simon maintained that both talented and untalented performers reflect the reality of the audition process.

He explained: “But that is the reality of auditions; I’ve always estimated that about half a percent of the individuals you see will be good.

“So there were some not-so-talented individuals. I suppose it was a decision to showcase the people who showed up, and some of them weren’t very good.”

Eze Chidiebere Paul

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