Simon Cowell hinted at tensions between himself and his former American Idol costar Ryan Seacrest in a new interview.
During an appearance on the New York Times' podcast The Interview from Saturday, the 66-year-old record executive-turned-reality TV star suggested that he hasn't been paying attention to Seacrest's exploits in the 15 years since he ended his stint as a judge on American Idol.
Cowell weighed in on Seacrest's success after the podcast's hosts quizzed him about what made his former costar 'so popular.'
'I don't know, actually,' Cowell responded. 'He was very, very ambitious. And look, I don't follow his career if I'm being honest with you.'
Cowell -- who recently admitted that Liam Payne's death 'really hit' him -- doubled down, adding, 'So I don't know what he's done or doing.'
He claimed the two 'rarely talk now,' and he accused the current Wheel Of Fortune host of always being career-focused.
Simon Cowell hinted at tensions between himself and his former American Idol costar Ryan Seacrest in a new interview in which he claimed not to have followed his former costar's career in recent years; pictured in October in Blackpool, England
When asked what made his former costar 'so popular' by the hosts of the New York Times' podcast The Interview, Cowell replied, 'I don't know, actually. He was very, very ambitious. And look, I don't follow his career if I'm being honest with you'; pictured together in 2003 in NYC
'I always knew with Ryan, he was very steely about his career, wanting to be famous. I mean this massive, massive desire about being very famous,' Cowell alleged.
He went on to offer faint praise by admitting that Seacrest 'does work hard.'
The Daily Mail has reached out to Cowell and Seacrest's representatives for comment but has not yet received a response.
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Despite his seemingly cool feelings toward Seacrest, Cowell's rep denied that he had ever been feuding with Seacrest in a statement to Page Six on Monday.
Their on-screen relationship began in 2002, when they appeared together on the debut season of American Idol.
The series took shape a year earlier, when Cowell appeared as a judge on the British series Pop Idol, which was in turn inspired by the competition series Popstars, which began airing in New Zealand in 1999.
Cowell was one of the producers who pitched an American version of Pop Idol, and after resistance from most of the major television networks, Rupert Murdoch warmed to the offer, reportedly because his daughter Elisabeth Murdoch had enjoyed the British series.
Cowell was part of the original trio of judges, which also included Randy Jackson and Paula Abdul, while Seacrest co-hosted with comedian Brian Dunkleman, who left the series after its first season.
Cowell doubled down, adding, 'So I don't know what he's done or doing.' He claimed the two 'rarely talk now,' and he accused the current Wheel Of Fortune host of always being career-focused; pictured in 2018 in Pasadena, Calif.
'I always knew with Ryan, he was very steely about his career, wanting to be famous. I mean this massive, massive desire about being very famous,' Cowell alleged. His rep later claimed to Page Six that there was no feud between the two; pictured in 2019 on The Kelly Clarkson Show
Cowell and Seacrest first worked together on the debut season of American Idol in 2002. Cowell left the show after season nine in 2010, but Seacrest has remained as host; pictured with fellow original judges Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson in 2008 in Hollywood
Cowell and Seacrest had testy exchanges on American Idol, including a 2007 incident in which Cowell made innuendos about Seacrest's alleged sexuality; pictured in 2003 in LA
The series remained a rating juggernaut through 2011, and Cowell left amid the peak in 2010 after finishing up season nine, while Seacrest has remained the host of American Idol ever since.
Although most of Cowell and Seacrest's tenure was uneventful, the two did have an eye-raising tiff in 2007, when Cowell appeared to mock Seacrest's alleged sexuality.
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According to TMZ, Seacrest asked Cowell if he had an words of advice for the contestant Melinda Doolittle, who was about to perform while wearing four-inch-tall heels.
'You should know, Ryan,' Cowell sniped.
'Stay out of my closet,' Seacrest replied, but that only set up Cowell's next innuendo, as he shot back, 'Come out!'
Seacrest ended the tense exchange by adding, 'This is about the top 12, not your wishes.'
However, an insider later claimed to the Today Show that the lines had been at least partially scripted, and they claimed Cowell and Seacrest were 'real good friends off-camera...'
'When the show is on the road for auditions, the two go for drinks and dinner,' they said, adding 'There's no real drama. It's all for the cameras!'
However, an insider later claimed to the Today Show that the lines had been at least partially scripted, and they claimed Cowell and Seacrest were 'real good friends off-camera...'; seen together in NYC in 2003
Seacrest later called out Cowell for calling him a 'sweetheart' in 2007, and later accused Cowell of being 'so negative' later in the same broadcast before failing to include his name when thanking the judges and band; pictured in May on American Idol
But later that year the two had another testy exchange in front of the cameras after Cowell called Seacrest a 'sweetheart.'
'Don't call me sweetheart . . . We don't have that kind of relationship,' Seacrest replied. 'I don't want that kind of relationship.'
Cowell was on the same page, repeating, 'I don't want that kind of relationship.'
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'Exactly. We'll just work together,' Seacrest replied. 'That's fine with me.'
Later in the same broadcast, Seacrest asked Cowell why he was being 'so negative' in his appraisals.
'I'm not being negative,' Cowell replied, according to the Times Herald-Record. 'Unlike you, I actually respect the audience at home and I don't believe in lying to them.'
Seacrest notably left off Cowell's name when thanking the other judges and the band later in the episode, though it's unclear if any of their awkward exchange was scripted.
Seacrest also made dismissive comments about Cowell while speaking to Entertainment Weekly in 2010, shortly after he had departed American Idol.
In 2010, Seacrest claimed Cowell had always been 'so jealous' of him while speaking with Entertainment Weekly, but that year he also told Ellen DeGeneres that they were 'actually friendly' and 'don't hold a grudge'; pictured together in 2005 in LA
He said Cowell had been 'so jealous' of him, adding, 'From Day One, he was envious of my career at such a young age.'
But the former Live With Kelly And Ryan co-host had changed his tune in an interview with Ellen DeGeneres in the same year.
'We're actually friendly,' he claimed. 'We don't hold a grudge. We have a very competitive spirit and attitude on the show, but we're friends.'
Seacrest shared similarly positive comments about Cowell in a 2017 appearance on DeGeneres' talk show, saying that the America's Got Talent judge was 'always entertaining,' according to Entertainment Tonight.