Simon Cowell was in the course of filming his recent Netflix docuseries when Liam Payne tragically died.
Simon Cowell: The Next Act, which began streaming on Wednesday, December 10, includes footage of the music mogul, 66, breaking down in tears at home and considering canceling the show’s seek for a brand new boy band after he heard in regards to the former One Direction member’s fatal fall from a hotel balcony.
“This completely changes every thing,” a visibly emotional Cowell says. “I don’t know if I can do anything for some time.”
In a confessional, Cowell recalls meeting Payne when the singer first auditioned for his U.K. show The X Factor in 2008. Payne was ultimately cut from the competition but returned in 2010 and formed One Direction with Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik.
“I remember considering what a sweet, humble boy,” Cowell shares. “He was just so normal and down-to-earth. He all the time had a sparkle in his eye, I keep in mind that, and his face in that [audition]. Everyone adored him.”
Cowell tells the camera that Payne’s death was “hard” for him, adding, “You simply don’t know the way you are feeling about someone until you lose them, you recognize? We’re just gonna miss him, genuinely miss him.”
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Later within the series, Cowell acknowledges that “the pressure, the stress that comes with being in a band is gigantic,” which leads him to satisfy with the hopefuls for his recent boy band to have a candid discussion about fame with them and their parents.
“I lost a friend recently, which has been really, really tough. It’s been s***. And there was a moment, I’m not gonna lie, after I first got the news where I’m like, ‘I’m undecided we should always do that,’” he begins his speech. “After which I considered it, and I remembered the conversations we had, with all of you, after I phoned you. After which I made the choice: I need you to have this chance.”
One Direction and Simon Cowell have an entire lot of history. The founding members of the boy band — Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson — initially auditioned for The X Factor UK in 2010 as solo acts. As an alternative of being eliminated during boot camp, Cowell and fellow judges Nicole […]
Cowell then opens the ground for questions from the aspiring pop stars and their family members, assuring them that nothing is “off-limits.”
After one parent expresses concern about their son entering the highlight, Cowell assures the group, “They’re going to be sorted. I’ve all the time prided myself that I do care about people I work with. I mean, genuinely care. And if we’re going to go forward with the boys, it should be with my absolute belief and support.”
Payne died on the age of 31 in October 2024 after falling from the third floor of a hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina. A toxicology report later revealed that the “Strip That Down” singer had cocaine, alcohol and a prescription antidepressant in his system on the time of his death.
Cowell recently told Us Weekly‘s Just Like Us video series that losing Payne was “not far off” from how he felt after the deaths of his parents.
“I’ve lost friends before, but Liam really hit me hard because I actually, really had an in depth bond with him,” he explained. “He got here on my show when he was very young. He got here back a second time. I’d seen him a yr before he’d passed. We’d spent a day together. We just had the most effective conversation, and we talked about being dads and every thing, and he looked amazing on that day. I genuinely don’t know whether [anything I said] would have made a difference. … He didn’t leave with me going, ‘I’m apprehensive about him.’”
Simon Cowell: The Next Act is now streaming on Netflix.
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