Simon Cowell has a few regrets.

During an appearance on The New York Times' "The Interview" podcast, Cowell apologized for his famously harsh comments toward contestants when he was a judge on "American Idol."

"I did change over time," Cowell said. "I did realize I've probably gone too far. I was frustrated. I didn't particularly like — I still don't — audition days, because they're long and boring. I would get fed up. And, of course, out of a hundred nice comments, what are they going to use? They're always going to use me being in a bad mood. I got that. What can I say? I'm sorry."

He added, "That was then. I'm not proud of it. Let's put it that way."

Cowell was one of the original three judges on the singing competition show "American Idol" from 2002 to 2010, serving alongside Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson.

During his time on "American Idol" and other competition shows like "The X Factor," the record executive became famous for brutally insulting people who delivered poor auditions. On YouTube, compilations of Cowell's harshest comments, including clips of him calling a person a loser and telling multiple singers they are the worst he has ever heard, have racked up millions of views.

Speaking on "The Interview," Cowell said he "wasn't trying to be" mean "on purpose," but was frustrated that poor auditions would prevent the show from finding good singers.

"All I wanted with these shows was to find successful artists to sign to the label," he said. "So when all these people were coming in and they couldn't sing ... I was frustrated at the beginning, because I thought, 'If we don't find someone good at the end of these shows, they're not going to get recommissioned.'"

Cowell also noted "I never look at" clips of him being rude on the show.

"When I hear about these clips, I'm like, 'Oh, God,'" he said. "But then again, the upside, I suppose, with these clips is that it made the shows really popular worldwide."

Cowell departed as a judge on "American Idol" in 2010. The competition series' current judging lineup consists of Luke Bryan, Lionel Richie and former "Idol" winner Carrie Underwood.

Cowell now serves as a judge on "America's Got Talent," the NBC talent competition show that he created. His latest project is "Simon Cowell: The Next Act," a Netflix documentary series where he attempts to find the next big boy band. It begins streaming on Dec. 10.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Simon Cowell admits he went 'too far' with 'American Idol' insults

Reporting by Brendan Morrow, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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