The X Factor in the UK has been subject to much controversy and criticism since its launch in 2004. This has included allegations of conflict of interest, voting irregularities and overcharging, product placement for sponsors, staging scenes, use of pitch correction technology, and exploiting vulnerable contestants. The series has also been criticised for developing singers as marketable products rather than creative individuals. As of April 2020, there have been fifteen completed series broadcast on the ITV network, as well as spin-offs The X Factor: Celebrity (2019) and The X Factor: The Band (2019).
Judges and presenters
It was reported in tabloid newspapers that the show's audition process was unfair after judge Louis Walsh was accused of cheating. Walsh was thought to have advised group Co-Ed on things such as song choices, which caused controversy after it was revealed that Walsh had previously managed the band after they appeared on the Irish version of Popstars in 2001. Around the same time, footage of Simon Cowell and Sharon Osbourne coaching contestants to argue back to the judges was being sold to the highest bidder.
Prior to the first live show, Cowell was accused by Osbourne of "rigging" the show by editing footage to make his contestants more appealing to viewers. In December 2004, Osbourne made an apology after attracting what Cowell referred to as "record complaints" over an outburst in which she criticised eventual winner Steve Brookstein. This left her place on the show uncertain.
During the live stages of the second series, Osbourne and Walsh were accused of having a pact against Cowell, that resulted in them unfairly eliminating his contestants against their own. Further controversy was created when Walsh cast the deciding vote to keep Irish group The Conway Sisters in the show at the expense of Maria Lawson. The controversy heightened when it was revealed that he had worked with The Conway Sisters prior to them entering the show.
On one occasion, Walsh announced after the live Saturday show that he would quit the series, claiming that the other two judges had been "bullying" him. In addition to various verbal assaults on Walsh, Osbourne had thrown water over him live on air. Walsh's announcement was claimed by many to be a publicity stunt after he decided to return to the show the following Saturday night.
Prior to the commencement of series four, The Xtra Factor host Ben Shephard left his post after reportedly being unhappy about not being given the presenting role on the main show, which instead went to Dermot O'Leary following the departure of original host Kate Thornton.
During a live broadcast in series five, judge Dannii Minogue broke down in tears after Walsh accused her of "stealing" the song "Rule the World" that he had wanted for JLS. The song choice selection process took place off camera and was done on a rota system, which alternated first priority when requesting songs. Cowell defended Minogue and convinced Walsh to apologise. Later on the ITV2 broadcast of The Xtra Factor, Cowell once again defended Minogue's actions, commenting "Dannii did exactly what I would do, which is choose the right song for the artist and if Louis doesn't like it, tough!"
During the first live show of sixth series, Minogue caused controversy after commenting on press reports. These comments outed contestant Danyl Johnson's sexuality as bisexual. This caused an online backlash. She subsequently apologised, which was accepted by Johnson. During the same series, Cowell was criticised for allegedly pressuring fellow judge Cheryl Cole to cast her elimination vote against contestant Lucie Jones who he could then save. Jones, widely considered the better singer, was subsequently eliminated from the competition by viewer poll. Dannii Minogue later said "This is a singing competition ... and this shouldn't have happened".
During week five of the seventh series, two of Cheryl's acts, Katie Waissel and Treyc Cohen, were in the bottom two. According to the rules of the competition each judge must independently vote to eliminate one of the contestants. However, Cheryl refused to vote against either of them, causing presenter Dermot O'Leary to remind her of her duty as a judge. Cohen was eventually sent home on a majority vote of the remaining three judges.
Contestants During series 3, boy band Avenue were accused of cheating after it emerged that they already had a management deal with music mogul Ashley Tabor-King, who reportedly sought to use the show for publicity. It was also revealed that one member, Jamie Tinker, previously had a recording contract with a branch of Sony Music Entertainment, of which Cowell's company Syco is a subsidiary. Despite attracting criticism, this was judged not to be against the rules of the show. The band insisted that they were not cheats.
During series 4, the producers discovered that Sisi Jghalef, a member of girl group Hope, had a criminal conviction. Having an unspent criminal conviction is in contravention of the show's rules, and Jghalef was asked to leave the competition. Hope, who had already been selected as finalists, continued without her.
During the live stages, 15-year-old contestant Emily Nakanda was discovered in a "happy slapping" video, in which she apparently attacked another girl. Both her mentor, Sharon Osbourne, and her family were said to be upset with her behaviour. Nakanda chose to withdraw from the competition of her own accord rather than being asked to do so by producers.
The lowering of the minimum contestant age from 16 to 14 for series 4 attracted criticism from some quarters. Groups such as the Family and Parenting Institute expressed concern that children of this age might be not be sufficiently emotionally robust to cope with the experience. The minimum age was returned to 16 for series six and again lowered to 14 for series eleven.
After the second audition episode of series 5 had been broadcast, Cowell publicly stated his intention to make changes to the show by reducing the emphasis on contestants' "sob stories", conceding that they had been "out of hand" in the previous series and viewers were "starting not to believe them".
Contestant Alan Turner was criticised in the press for allegedly lying to the judges in his original audition. Turner had told the panel that he had been fostered and sexually abused since the age of four and did not know his real parents, but his father and uncle publicly disputed the claims. Producers vowed to support Turner, who had been put through to boot camp, insisting that his place on the show was "never in jeopardy". Turner claimed that the show's editing had made him appear dishonest, but his mother later claimed that her son had made false claims which had "hurt [her] beyond belief". In one episode, Cowell confronted Turner over the truth of his story, and was satisfied that it was true. Ultimately, however, Turner was eliminated at the final stage before the live shows.
Series 7 auditionee Shirlena Johnson was removed from the competition after the boot-camp stage over concerns about her mental health. In Johnson's first audition, she performed "Mercy" by Duffy, but she performed it so incoherently that the song became almost unrecognizable. The producers stated that they had had only received information about her mental health on 23 August, but Johnson's mother stated that they already knew about her medical history. A spokesperson for the show said "the welfare of contestants is of paramount importance, and for this reason, it has been agreed that Shirlena Johnson should not continue in the competition."
Zimbabwean singer Gamu Nhengu progressed to the judges' houses stage under Cheryl's mentorship. Viewers expressed anger when Cheryl did not pick Nhengu for the live shows, despite a well received performance. Instead, Katie Waissel and Cher Lloyd were chosen, despite both being unable to finish their performances. Cheryl defended her decision as a "gut instinct" that she thought was best. Waissel's inclusion in the show was further surrounded by controversy as it was revealed that she already had a recording contract in the United States prior to auditioning.
In series 8, contestant Ceri Rees was reportedly persuaded to return to the show by the producers. Several well-known celebrities condemned the show for broadcasting her audition. Mind, a charity that aids people with mental health issues, publicly condemned the decision with a spokesperson saying "We want people with mental health problems to participate, but need program-makers to be responsible".
During the live shows, Frankie Cocozza was asked to leave the competition before the sixth live show, for boasting about using cocaine. The rules of the series strictly prohibit drug use during the show. As a result Amelia Lily, who was eliminated in the first live show, was reinstated through a public vote on the sixth live show.
Midway through the series, girl group Rhythmix were forced to change their name after an attempt by Cowell to trademark the name came to the attention of the music charity organisation Rhythmix. The charity's chief executive, Mark Davyd, wrote an open letter to Cowell telling him to "just change the name". Following public pressure from the charity, the group agreed to change their name to Little Mix, and later won the series.
In series 9, Christopher Maloney received much criticism. He was eliminated at the judges' houses but returned to the competition in a wildcard vote and subsequently received the most public votes for several weeks. Newspapers reported that this was an apparent effort by viewers to destroy the show's credibility beyond repair. Maloney was regularly attacked verbally by the judges, who did not see him having the superstar quality to justify his place in the competition. Maloney reached the finals but polled the lowest number of votes at the first stage and finished in third place. The following day, reports surfaced that he was kept from performing that night's final group song after reportedly turning up late for rehearsals, having drunk alcohol the previous night and was still smelling of it, and allegedly used misogynistic language toward another contestant.
Series 10 contestant Lydia Lucy criticised the new boot-camp format that was introduced in this series, in which successful contestants were at risk of losing their place if another contestant was deemed to have performed better. Lucy was one of three contestants who lost the support of her mentoring judge Nicole Scherzinger in favour of another contestant in this challenge. She said: "I've been absolutely devastated ... [this] is like dangling a carrot in front of someone and then taking it away."
Scherzinger was criticised for eliminating returning contestants Jade Richards and Melanie McCabe at the judges' houses stage and bringing Tamera Foster and Abi Alton to the live shows instead. McCabe's exit was met with outrage on Twitter, as she had been considered one of the favorites to win the series. In interviews given shortly before judges' houses was screened, both contestants had vowed never to return again if they were rejected.