Simon Cowell says there are fewer professional acts on this year's Britain's Got Talent amid the golden buzzer 'fix row'.
The head judge spoke out to defend the ITV show he helped mastermind after some viewers said it was "unfair" that professional singer Loren Allred was sent straight through to the live finals.
Fans accused the show of being a "fix" after they discovered that American-born singer Loren, was actually the voice behind The Greatest Showman's Never Enough.
Simon told The Sun : "This year, there are less professional people, that's where we started the show all those years ago.
"We started by opening the show to anyone regardless of a day job or hidden talent that they want to show to the world", he continued.
"This is the place to do it and thank god that's the show it's evolved into. We don't really have any rules on it."
As well as 31-year-old Loren, Simon caused a stir when he hit the buzzer for an award-winning comedian Axel Blake.
Simon was impressed by the comic, 33, who joked about the pandemic and his pregnant girlfriend - but some viewers were fuming.
One vented: "So last night there was a golden buzzer for a singer with net worth of 2 million and a song in one of the biggest movies to ever exist and tonight's golden buzzer was an award winning comedian who has an amazon prime show??? wtf is happening this series?"
"Fed up of professionals getting golden buzzer now," said another.
"What a waste of a golden buzzer!" one fumed on twitter.
"Lovely bloke but not funny," a second added.
Adding to the fix row, some eagle-eyed viewers were convinced that one of the auditions was "fake".
Audience member Nick Edwards was stunned after his two daughters Savannah, three and Cali, four suddenly appeared on the stage with their nan.
The dad-of-two said he thought the family were there to watch the show, but his mum said that he has a "lovely voice" and beckoned him onto the stage.
But cynical viewers spotted that Nick was already wearing a microphone.
As his daughters walked on stage, Nick said: "You're joking. That's my mum, you're joking."
His mum then revealed to the audience: "Well, Nick doesn't know anything about it and we're surprising him because we want him to come and sing because he sings a lovely song for the girls."
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Viewers took to Twitter, with one writing: "When he was sat in the audience, did he not wonder where his mum and kids were? He said they'd come on a day out together? What a joke."
While a third added: "Not staged, apparently. But why did he have a microphone already attached when surprised in the audience? Also luckily had his guitar with him. Make it make sense."
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