X Factor star slams Simon Cowell's ‘selective storytelling' after being ‘blamed’ for Liam Payne’s death

Former The X Factor star Katie Waissel has hit out at Simon Cowell.

Waissel was on the same 2010 season as Liam Payne and the rest of One Direction, with the boyband coming in third place on the show and Waissel finishing seventh.

In the years that have followed their time on the once-popular competition, Waissel has been very vocal about her experiences.

She has been particularly critical of Simon Cowell, even calling for an investigation into Syco Music following Payne's passing in 2024.

Waissel tweeted shortly after Payne's death, saying: "My heart is completely torn to shreds right now, I am at an absolute loss for words. If Simon Cowell dare put a statement out on the heart wrenching, tragic loss of my dear and darling friend Liam, he would be a fool. We all know the truth… and I’ll be sure it all comes out. #justiceforliam."

But Cowell did pay tribute to Payne, and described himself as 'devastated' and 'heartbroken'.

Now the music mogul has spoken in more depth about Payne's death on the Rolling Stone Music Now podcast, addressing having the finger pointed at him.

"I don’t read any of this stuff because if I did, you would just torture yourself," the 66-year-old said. "The idea that you are essentially responsible for somebody’s life, ten years after you’ve signed someone? You can’t do that."

He did admit, however, that he questioned if he could have done more for the singer. Cowell mused: "What would’ve happened to Liam if he hadn’t been in the band?"

Waissel has since posted a scathing response to Cowell's remarks.

Her lengthy statement began: "I am writing in response to Simon Cowell’s recent remarks in Rolling Stone, in which he references the tragic loss of my friend and fellow 2010 X Factor contestant Liam Payne and reflects on his time overseeing the management of One Direction. While he expresses personal sadness and regret, his statements present a distorted and incomplete account of the reality experienced by many of us who were held via contract under his structures.

It is important, ethically, legally, and journalistically — that a fuller picture is acknowledged."

Waissel continued: "When Liam passed away, the entire world saw my public reaction. It was not a reaction to fame, or grief alone, or the pressures of the music industry in general; it was a reaction rooted in first-hand experience of the duty-of-care failures, coercive pressures, and systemic harms that were present during our time under Cowell’s management umbrella."

MY REBUTTAL TO SIMON COWELL’S ROLLING STONE STATEMENT

I am writing in response to Simon Cowell’s recent remarks in Rolling Stone, in which he references the tragic loss of my friend and fellow 2010 XFactor contestant Liam Payne and reflects on his time overseeing the management…

— Katie Waissel (@katiewaissel24) November 26, 2025

She went on to accuse Cowell of 'selective storytelling'. Waissel wrote: "For Cowell to publicly present himself today as reflective, concerned, and wounded - while omitting the systemic pressures, relentless work schedules, emotional manipulation, public shaming structures, and unregulated high-stress environments that defined our experiences - is not merely selective storytelling.

"It is an erasure of the very conditions that contributed to the mental health struggles of multiple artists, including Liam, myself, and many others."

UNILAD have approached Cowell's rep for comment.