America's favorite acerbic insult master, Simon Cowell, is taking his last bow on American Idol tonight.
While Idol is ostensibly a singing competition, Cowell's scathing wit has stolen the spotlight from years of interchangeable contestants. He can be credited for turning the merciless crushing of hopes and dreams into an art form. Today, there's hardly a competition show to be found without a token mean judge, (or at least a token English one) though few can match Simon's nonchalant contempt. Fortunately, Cowell's critical skills will not be going to waste. After leaving Idol, he plans to focus his time developing his similar UK talent series The X Factor.
So tonight, we bid farewell to the meanest man in television. Cowell's place in primetime television may be over, but we can honor his legacy by going out of our way, every day, to be just a bit meaner to each other.
Check out the video to relive some of Simon Cowell's best insults to Idol's worst singers