Simon Cowell Denies Claims Of “Slave Labor”

AMERICAN IDOL host SIMON COWELL has denied contestants on his reality TV shows are rewarded with poorly paid contracts – insisting all finalists go on to earn thousands of dollars as a result of his hit shows.

Cowell recently came under fire after a British newspaper reported that finalists on his U.K. talent show X Factor were signed up to a country-wide tour after the show wrapped last year (08) – but were being paid as little as $360 per gig.

But the music mogul is adamant that the figures given are not correct, revealing that most artists who reach the final stages of the competition will be handed a hefty pay packet at the end of their run.

He says, “I don’t mind being cast as the pantomime baddie – but I am very fair in business. It is not slave labour. I won’t go into the precise figures because that is confidential but these people will earn about £50,000 each on the X Factor tour. For any kid who wants to get into the music business and hasn’t got a recording contract – it’s a good deal. To put them in front of 16 million viewers over a period of time and then pay them £50,000 for three months work? That is not a bad deal.”