Katie Waissel, a former contestant on the British version of The X Factor, is suing the show and Simon Cowell for alleged negligence during her time on the production.
Waissel was a contestant on the show in 2010 and finished seventh overall. That was a significant year for that show, as Waissel competed against the winner Matt Cardle and the third-place act, a little group called One Direction.
Waissel now works as a lawyer and is suing Syco Entertainment for allegedly breaching its duty of care during her time on the show.
The singer told The Sunday Times that she is “pursuing a civil case of personal injury under negligence, which pertains to duty of care.”
Waissel will have some trouble getting this case all the way through the court system. There is a three-year statute of limitations on a situation like this one, so she’ll have to get a judge to approve it.
Her complaints are largely focused on the contracts that all X Factor contestants have to sign prior to appearing on the show.
She told the outlet that she was contractually “given £1 in exchange for appearing on the live shows section of the programme.”
“That structure is manipulation and coercion at its finest,” she continued. “Company A, who is in a position of power, seeks person B, who is vulnerable.”
"Company A says, this is the biggest opportunity of your life and without it, you would be nothing," the lawyer added. "That is the absolute pinnacle of where it’s all gone wrong."
Waissel may be alluding to accusations of bullying, harassment, and exploitation taking place on the show. These allegations have been swirling around for years. A documentary about what happened behind the scenes of the show is reportedly in the works, according to Yahoo.
The British X Factor premiered in 2004 and hasn’t aired since it stopped production in 2019.
In an interview on The One Show last month, Cowell hinted that there might be talks of bringing The X Factor back. He has recently teamed up with another star from the show, Lucy Spraggan, to work on various music projects together.
The two were in a joint interview together when Spraggan brought up the talent competition, saying that she's thought about how to bring the show back in a way that makes it a "better show for contestants."
"The importance is finding new talent who really need a voice and a platform. Simon has that and I have the experience of being a contestant; I think we could make something really special," she continued, implying that they've discussed this before.
