Simon Cowell: Ryan Seacrest always wanted to be famous
Simon Cowell rarely speaks to Ryan Seacrest these days but he knows the presenter always wanted to be famous.
Simon Cowell has claimed Ryan Seacrest always had a "massive, massive desire" to be famous.
The pair first worked together when American Idol began in 2002 but after the music mogul left the show in 2010, they've had very little contact, though he knew the Wheel of Fortune host always had grand ambitions.
Asked why he thinks Ryan became so popular in the wake of launching his career as the host of American Idol, Simon told the New York Times newspaper: "I can’t really answer that one. He does work hard.
"He was very, very ambitious. I didn’t follow his career, so I don’t know what he’s done. 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."
The 66-year-old star was known for his cutting comments to contestants on his reality shows and he admitted he regrets just how mean he was to some people.
He said: "That’s why I changed over time. I did realise I’ve probably gone too far.
"I didn’t particularly like audition days, because they’re long and boring. I would get fed up. And of course, out of a hundred nice comments, what are they going to use? They’re always going to use me in a bad mood. I got that.
"What can I say? I’m sorry...
"That was then. I’m not proud of it, let’s put it that way. I never look at this stuff online, so when I hear about these clips, I’m like, Oh, God. But then again, the upside is that it made the shows really popular worldwide."
While Simon noted fame can be very difficult to deal with, he wouldn't have his life any other way.
He said: "It's very difficult, because I honestly don’t know what is harder: trying to be famous or managing your fame. Both are equally difficult.
"I can say this about myself: I made my own choices. Not every day has been amazing, but I’m glad I did what I did.
"I made the decision to do something different in my life, and it comes with pressure, a lot of stress, but I signed up for it because obviously there was something inside of me saying, I want to be well known. And I would do it all over again."
