Simon Cowell reveals the “America's Got Talent” standout that did 'more good for our show than any other contestant'

Raechal ShewfeltTue, June 2, 2026 at 4:27 AM UTC

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Simon Cowell on 'America's Got Talent'
Credit: Trae Patton/NBCKey Points -

America's Got Talent judge Simon Cowell is looking back on Susan Boyle's viral 2009 audition on the British version of the show.

Cowell said he "absolutely" adores the contestant.

The 21st season of AGT premieres Tuesday.

Simon Cowell is seriously grateful for Susan Boyle.

The America's Got Talentjudge, who's known for not always being nice, recently raved about the singer, who famously auditioned for Britain's Got Talent — and judges Cowell, Pierce Morgan, and Amanda Holden — with the song "I Dreamed a Dream" in 2009. The stunning rendition of the Les Misérables tune quickly went viral.

"I absolutely adore her," Cowell said in an interview with Extra. "She did more good for our show than probably any other contestant."

Boyle certainly brought a lot of attention to the reality show, which was only in its third season.

Cowell said earlier this month that, when Boyle first appeared on the show, he and his fellow judges had treated her poorly. He thought they were "horrible."

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He told the news magazine that he'd misjudged the contestant before she stepped into the stage — with an incredible voice.

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"Susan is a real character, and I think at the corner of my eye, I must have seen her messing around in the wings or something because I thought she was a comedian, a standup comedian," Cowell said. "And, yeah, there is that famous awful look between me and Pierce. And that's what we were like on the day. And I wanted people to show that you can't judge a book by its cover."

The Scottish singer finished the season in second place, and she went on to appear on America's Got Talent: The Champions. She boosted ratings for both, no to mention sold millions of albums and toured the world. She debuted a glamorous new look last week while teasing yet another upcoming project.

She and Cowell have since become friends, with him calling her "the most incredible person," and her saying he's "the biggest inspiration in my career."

Cowell is going into the 21st season of America's Got Talent with a kinder attitude.

Susan Boyle on 'Britain's Got Talent'
Credit: Ken McKay/Shutterstock

The judge, who sits alongside Mel B, Howie Mandel, and Sofia Vergara on the U.S.'s AGT panel, said he invited the latest batch of contestants into his home.

"It was really, really good to be able to sit down with each contestant for about 20, 30 minutes or whatever it was on the first day and actually really, really get to know them," Cowell said. "I really made the point, which is, 'Look, you're here as my guest, eat, drink, do whatever you want,' to the point, apparently, one of the contestants found a bedroom and took a shower."

The new season of America's Got Talent premieres Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET/PT on NBC.

on Entertainment Weekly

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