Rep: 'X Factor's' Simon Cowell Didn't Call Lady Gaga, Beyonce 'Boring'

7:51 AM PDT 9/30/2011 by Lindsay Powers

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His rep tells THR he was "misquoted" speaking negatively of the singers and "always refers to them as amongst the artists he most admires."

Simon Cowell has nothing against Lady Gaga and Beyonce.

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The X Factor host was recently quoted in the UK Mirror saying, "If you only ever heard Lady Gaga, she's the most boring singer in the world. You've got to see her — you need TV. Same with Beyoncé. Or Katy Perry. We're all about image. You have to have that X factor."

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But his rep tells The Hollywood Reporter he was "misquoted."

"It's the complete opposite in fact. Simon is a massive fan of both and he always refers to them as amongst the artists he most admires. He thinks they are two of the most interesting, talented & relevant artists today," adds the rep.

Cowell spoke highly of Beyonce and Gaga in the Mirror article as well.

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"It's like they've all been bred to take over the world and dominate everything in entertainment. They are unbelievable, these girls," he said, calling Beyonce, "the biggest star we've seen in 20 years; we're seeing sort of the rise of the super female pop star. It's like a different breed. Beyoncé has that."

He also said Gaga has "the X Factor. She's smart ... [and] has real ambition. She is a total, utter star. ... You have to be open and embrace this level of expression. You hope to God that you can find someone like her."

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"I think somebody like Lady Gaga defines exactly what we're looking for. She's both talented and interesting. She's worked it all out for herself. You never get the feeling somebody is controlling her. Lady Gaga is the most relevant pop artist in the world at the moment. I've met her. She is very smart. I like her," he added.

X Factor scored 11.5 million viewers for its second week, leading Fox to win Wednesday-night ratings.