Louis Walsh thinks Simon Cowell has "f***ed" up with the current series of 'The X Factor'.
Louis Walsh
The 63-year-old music manager - who was axed as a judge earlier this year - has confessed he thinks his close friend and former colleague has ruined the show by making too many changes.
He said: "I'm glad I'm not on it this year as the ratings are down.
"Simon has messed with it too much. It was an experiment that didn't really work.
"He used to blame me. He'd say, 'It's your fault, people are fed up looking at you'. But it's not my fault, it's his. He's f***ed the show.
"We get on well, so I don't care. I'll tell him what I think. I don't give a f**k any more because I'm not on the show. Every now and then we'll talk about it on the phone late at night."
Louis was rumoured to be making a return to the show at some point this series but he's claimed he'd only come back if hosts Caroline Flack and Olly Murs were given the boot, as well as judges Nick Grimshaw and Cheryl Fernandez-Versini.
He told Star magazine: "If I did go back, my God, I would have started up! But I don't want to be seen on this series. I'd only go back when it's fun and with people I liked.
"If I'm not in 'I'm A Celeb' next year, I could be back on 'X Factor'.
"I'd bring back [former host] Dermot O'Leary -- and then all the viewers! Dermot was a safe bet. He wouldn't have got anything wrong.
"I'd take my old seat back [where Nick Grimshaw sits]. Nick is fine but he's a radio person. It's not his fault he's been thrown in at the deep end.
"I think Cheryl and Rita are similar in the way they mentor. But Rita is a great singer and she knows how to perform."
Louis concluded by admitting that while he's a fan of Louisa Johnson and Che Chesterman and thinks Reggie 'N' Bollie are "fun", he thinks 4th Impact "should go back to the Philippines".
Tagged in Louis Walsh Olly Murs Simon Cowell