Former X Factor stars speak out against show and music industry

Rebecca Ferguson has joined former X Factorstars including Matt Cardle and Cher Lloyd in speaking out against the show. Rebecca is set to meet with the UK’s culture secretary Oliver Dowden about overhauling the music industry to improve care and respect for artists.

A source who spoke to The Sun said:

There have long been rumours swirling about things involving NDAs and legal threats, but suddenly a few well-known faces are speaking out at once. It has given others the confidence to think about telling their stories too, and the momentum is gathering. Some of those who feel they were exploited and allege they were abused are extremely well known, but always feared speaking out could end their careers. That seems to be changing.

Jedward slam X Factor

Twins John and Edward Grimes, who appeared on X Factor in 2009 as Jedward, also posted a series of tweets on Tuesday slamming Simon Cowell, the X Factor and the music industry in general. In one tweet they said:

Eating disorders and depression are very common in the music industry and it’s because nobody cares about the artist’s mental health, only the money!

After claiming they were speaking out on behalf of Little Mix and One Direction, Jedward shared a screenshot of a DM apparently from One Direction star Louis Tomlinson in which he wrote:

You guys have lost the plot hahahahahahahaha you must be high.

The twins claim to have seen One Direction’s contract after it was sent to them by mistake years ago.

Is X Factor coming back?

The X Factor aired every year from its first series in 2004 until the most recent series in 2018. In 2019, two special series aired - The X Factor: Celebrity, which was won by Megan McKenna, and The X Factor: The Band, won by girl group Real Like You. The X Factor now isn’t expected to return until 2022 at the earliest.