Simon Cowell Strikes Out at Boybands: ‘X Factor’ Moguls Admits He Nearly Hit ’90s Singing Hero in the Face — As He Opens Up About ‘Disgusting’ Music Business
In the BBC series Boybands Forever, Cowell, 65, recalled working with 5ive — an English boy band from London — and shared details about the time he nearly punched one of the members in the face.
In 1997, the band 5ive — consisting of Ritchie Neville, Scott Robinson, Sean Conlon, J Brown and Abz Love — was signed by Cowell and BMG/RCA for a six-album deal.
However, the band struggled with their overwhelming fame and their nonstop schedules.Robinson, 44, revealed details about an altercation in 2001 and claimed: “I pinned one of the big cheeses at the record label up against his desk with my foot, crushing him into the wall, and said, ‘I will f***ing leave this band, you try and f***ing stop me,’ with Simon Cowell trying to fight me off him.”
Cowell admitted: “We almost ended up in a fistfight. I was that close to punching him in the face.”
Robinson added: “I’d lost my mind. They had to call security and carry me out of the building kicking and screaming like a f***ing wild dogCowell recalled following the explosive fight: “Maybe a week later I‘m called into another meeting, and everyone’s there and they’re going you can’t leave.”
In 2001, 5ive ended up parting ways and after reuniting a handful of times over the years, the group now consists of Neville, Conlon, and Robinson.
