The American Idol star slammed the former judge over offensive comments.

American Idol finalist Clay Aiken slams Simon Cowell for calling him ‘ugly’ on live TV and tells fans ‘go look it up!’

AMERICAN Idol finalist Clay Aiken has called out the show’s former judge, Simon Cowell, for criticizing his appearance on TV.

Clay was a runner-up on Season 2 of the singing competition series, which aired on Fox in 2003.

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American Idol finalist Clay Aiken called out the show’s former host Simon Cowell for criticizing his appearanceCredit: Getty

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Clay noted that Simon called him ‘ugly’ during his 2003 auditionCredit: Getty
The 47-year-old returned to the American Idol stage during last week’s Season 24 finale, and he’s since pointed out the drastic differences in the set compared to when he competed over two decades ago.

During an interview with TV Insider, Clay reflected on his time on the show, including a shocking comment Simon made about his looks.

“I think there was an interesting quandary about whether or not America was going to vote for the best singers or are they going to vote for the people who look like pop stars,” the singer said.

He then noted that Simon, known for his particularly harsh critiques during his nine seasons as a judge, told him he was “ugly” and didn’t look like a typical pop star.

“He said I was ugly. Go look it up. It’s in there. You can watch the footage,” Clay told the outlet.

During Clay’s audition, Simon told him he didn’t “look like a pop star,” despite having “a great voice.”

Fellow judge Randy Jackson agreed, saying Clay’s singing chops didn’t match his look and encouraged him to “work on his style.”

Nevertheless, they both voted to send him through to Hollywood, where Clay soared into the finale and battled Ruben Studdard.

He lost to Ruben in the end, but it was one of the closest and most memorable finales the show has ever had.

Although Simon’s remark stuck with him, Clay admitted that the X Factor star showed his softer side when the cameras weren’t rolling.

“We’d get to see [Simon] after someone got cut. He’d come back and give a hug and say goodbye,” the Rewind singer shared.

“[The judges] were all always very warm. [Simon] was very supportive of people.”

Clay also pointed out that Simon knew how to attract viewers, especially at a time when reality competition shows were just taking off.

“[Simon] said what he really felt, but that’s why he’s a TV genius, right? He knows how to make TV, and he knew exactly what was necessary in terms of pushing buttons like nobody’s business,” he said.

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Simon was a judge for the show’s first nine seasons alongside Randy Jackson and Paula AbdulCredit: Getty

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Clay lost in the Season 2 finale to Rubben StuddardCredit: Alamy
Paula Abdul was the third original judge on American Idol.

She and Randy returned for the show’s semi-finals, where Paula served as a guest judge, and Randy, as a mentor.

The current American Idol judges are Lionel Richie, Luke Bryan, and Season 4 winner Carrie Underwood.

Fans have repeatedly slammed the judges for being too nice to the contestants and said they missed the show’s earlier days.

Many have particularly expressed issues with Carrie joining the panel and have petitioned online for her to be replaced.

Season 24 of American Idol concluded last Monday with stay-at-home mom Hannah Harper being crowned the winner.