During an X Factor audition, Simon stunned both the audience and his fellow judges when he was suddenly kissed on the lips by a contestant who had just called him “incredibly attractive.”
Flirting from hopefuls is nothing new for the music mogul, but this moment went much further than expected. Paula, a 39-year-old from Staffordshire, had just finished performing Joan Jett’s I Love Rock and Roll at the Manchester auditions. Wearing a blue vest top and denim shorts, she danced provocatively in front of the judges before being asked what she enjoyed doing in her free time. Her bold response? “Simon.”
The remark drew laughs from the panel, but what came next shocked everyone—Paula leaned across the judges’ desk and planted a kiss directly on Simon. The crowd erupted, while fellow judges Louis Walsh and Nicole Scherzinger looked on in surprise.
After collecting himself, Simon delivered his trademark blunt critique: “You’re probably great at many things… but singing isn’t one of them.”
The jaw-dropping scene aired later that night on The Xtra Factor on ITV2, while the Manchester auditions featured as part of a special double bill on ITV. Paula was just one of many contestants hoping to make a memorable impression—but few managed it quite as dramatically.
