Simon Cowell is responding to those who think he played a part in the untimely death of Liam Payne.
During a recent appearance on the Rolling Stone Music Now podcast, Cowell was asked how he felt about people blaming him for Payne’s passing, claiming he put too much pressure on One Direction and failed to help them navigate fame.
“I don’t read any of this stuff because if I did, you would just torture yourself. The idea that you are essentially responsible for somebody’s life, 10 years after you’ve signed someone? You can’t do that,” Cowell said.
The “X Factor” creator, 66 — whose competition show launched Payne’s former band, One Direction, back in 2010 — fielded criticism from some people after Payne fell from a hotel balcony in Argentina last October with multiple drugs in his system.
Payne was 16 when he auditioned on the show — for the second time — and was later matched with fellow contestants Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik and Harry Styles to form One Direction.
Together, they finished third in the competition, and Cowell’s label, Syco Records, signed the band.
During the podcast appearance, Cowell recalled meeting with Payne about a year before his death, and imparting some advice.
“I remember saying, ‘Music is not everything. Don’t let it run your life anymore. Find something else that you are passionate about,’” Cowell related.
“You ask yourself that question: ‘Could I have done anything more? What would’ve happened to Liam if he hadn’t been in the band?’”
He also recalled thinking Payne was “in a really good place” at the time.
“I wish I could turn back the clock, of course,” the TV personality shared. “When I spoke to him that day, I felt really good about him.”
In the days following Payne’s Oct. 16, 2024, death at the age of 31, Cowell was among the first to publicly mourn the hitmaker.
“You never really know how you feel about someone until a moment like this happens,” Cowell wrote in a social media statement at the time.
“Liam, I am devastated,” Cowell continued. “Heartbroken. And I feel empty. And I want you to know how much love and respect I have for you. Every tear I have shed is a memory of you.”
In his lengthy statement, Cowell also recalled that Payne “never [forgot] the fans. I watched you spending so much time with people who had wanted to meet you. You really cared,” he wrote.
The music mogul was later seen embracing Payne’s parents at his November 2024 funeral in the UK.
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