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 programmes. 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 (£250) 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."