Louis Walsh has made claims about The X Factor, ahead of a documentary series made by Sky about the talent show.
In January we found out that the channel had greenlit a deep-dive ‘exploring the era-defining entertainment juggernaut’.
The show will speak to people who were closely involved with the hit ITV series, both in front of and behind the camera.
Simon Cowell, 66, will contribute, as will former fellow judge Louis Walsh, 73.
He spoke to Ray Foley on Today FM, and revealed he was ‘doing it [the documentary] next week.’
Speaking to the presenter about the voting system, Walsh said: ‘Cowell knew it all.’
Foley was shocked, asking: ‘Even as a judge he knew exactly what was going on? The way the votes were going and all?’
To which Walsh replied: ‘Course he knew yeah. And he was great to work with, he was fantastic.’
These comments come after the Irish star appeared to take digs at his former boss.
Cowell was the creator and executive producer for The X Factor who also featured as a judge – often the one with harsher words to say.
Over the years the show saw various celebrities on the judging panel, including Cheryl Cole, Gary Barlow and Kelly Rowland.
For a while Walsh was a judge alongside Sharon Osbourne, who quit the show in 2008 and returned in 2016 for two more series.
You might still see clips from the time of the pair bursting into fits of giggles during auditions or messing around backstage. They have become synonymous with early vintages of the show which live on through social media.
While viewers at home might have felt like they knew what was coming when the judges were given their categories, Walsh says he and Osbourne ‘didn’t know anything’ while filming.
Clearing up rumours about ‘conspiracy theories behind the scenes’, Walsh said: ‘We didn’t know who we were gonna get, what we were gonna do, the votes.’
When they were judges, Walsh often looked after the bands because of his history managing Boyzone, and Osbourne was frequently given the over 25s.
The music manager said that in the Sky documentary, he will be ‘just telling the truth’.
After the show was axed in 2021 it became the subject of conversations around duty of care for contestants, with ITV and Fremantle evolving their processes after allegations emerged.
Metro has reached out to Simon Cowell, ITV and Fremantle for comment on Louis’ claims.
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