“Paula Abdul Reflects on Surpassing Simon Cowell on ‘American Idol’ and Its Lasting Impact on Her”

It looks like Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell‘s playful rivalry is still going strong, even 16 years after leaving American Idol.

Abdul reflected on her time as a judge on the ABC series with Cowell and Randy Jackson from 2002 to 2009. She humorously mentioned the challenges of being the only woman on the panel and having to contend with Simon Cowell’s assertive presence on her left side, which she jokingly claimed left the left side of her brain permanently affected by his British accent.

She added, “But no big deal because at least I had Randy to the right of me.”

Throughout the show, Abdul and Cowell frequently clashed due to their contrasting judging approaches. When Abdul departed, Ellen DeGeneres took over her role as a judge for Season 9.

Abdul has always been candid about the struggles of collaborating with Cowell on the series. During a reunion with American Idol star Jennifer Hudson on Hudson’s FOX talk show, Abdul expressed her efforts to balance out Cowell’s characteristic demeanor on the program.

“I have to say you were always extra-supportive on the show,” Hudson recalled during her appearance in 2023. “She used to get us gifts and stuff, y’all, which was very encouraging. You were the softness of it all that kept us — at least I would like to think — grounded.”

Abdul responded, “Someone had to be. It wasn’t gonna be the guy to the left of me.”

Hudson then admitted that Cowell “wasn’t too nice” when she was on the show, prompting Abdul to add, “Welcome to my world for a decade.”

She later admitted that Cowell is still “not that different” from how he was on the show.

“He’s snarky as always,” she said. “And he still makes jokes every time I see him. He goes, ‘Come here, Paula. Come here.’ Like how I would say to my chihuahua.”

At least they can laugh about it now!