Simon Cowell: The Masked Singer is 'depressing'

Simon Cowell thinks \'The Masked Singer\' is "depressing" to watch.

The 60-year-old media mogul is the creator of both \'The X Factor\' and \'Britain\'s Got Talent\', and has said shows such as \'The Masked Singer\' - where celebrities wear full body costumes to conceal their identities whilst they perform, and a panel of judges guess who they are - are "depressing", because they don\'t allow up and coming singers to show off their talents.

Simon also slammed rival show \'The Voice\' as "disrespectful" for having the judging panel turn their backs to the singer, which is done in the blind auditions round so that only the hopeful\'s voice is judged, and not their appearance.

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Whilst talking to a hopeful during auditions for \'Britain\'s Got Talent\', Simon said: "There are so many people like you who need a break.

"When I see shows like \'The Masked Singer\' or \'The Voice\', where people have their back to a singer - which I find so disrespectful - if we\'re not careful, people like you won\'t have these shows to have a shot on. Which is why I am very thankful ITV have given us the five-year deal they did.

"Where else do you go? If the future is shows like that, you might as well give up. There\'s talent in every country. You showcase people and give them an opportunity.

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"It reminds us why we make these shows, to meet people like you. Otherwise it\'s just going to be an ex-soap star dressed as a monster, and I can\'t think of anything more depressing."

\'The Masked Singer\' began airing its first series in the UK this year, and is based on the South Korean reality show \'King of Mask Singer\'.

So far, the likes of The Darkness frontman Justin Hawkins, politician Alan Johnson, and football star Teddy Sheringham have been unmasked and revealed as the stars underneath the elaborate costumes.