Simon Cowell is responding to fans who think he has grown soft as a judge.

“I probably have. I would say also that the acts got better, to be fair,” Cowell, 65, exclusively shared with Us Weekly while celebrating the America’s Got Talent season 20 semi-finals with Lavazza on Tuesday, September 16. “I mean, when we were first doing this, some of the acts that we saw were just terrible, and I don’t know if I’d say it quite the same way, but I would certainly say to them if they were as bad again, ‘You’re terrible.’ I can’t lie to people.”

Cowell joined America’s Got Talent as a judge in 2016’s season 11, following Howard Stern’s exit from the NBC summer series.

In season 20, Cowell remains impressed by the level of talent and inspiration the remaining acts share with both the judges and v

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