Simon Cowell Defends Paula Abdul  5/12/05

Simon Cowell has leapt to the defense of his fellow American Idol judge Paula Abdul, branding the allegations against her nothing but a publicity stunt on the part of her accuser.

Ousted contestant Corey Clark claims he enjoyed an affair with the Straight Up singer when he was competing on the show in 2003 - and Abdul often gave him advice on song choices and his image.

And Cowell believes that Clark has unveiled the story to help sell records.

The British music mogul says, "It was quite obvious that this was actually just a huge plug for his appalling new album... I mean it was just terrible. It wasn't great.

"I have to say, in defense of Paula, I've worked with her now four seasons.

You would've heard rumors of this stuff. You know what it's like when you work on a show. It was all news to me and I think it was all news to (Paula), and I think it's just another controversy on American Idol.

"I think she's half hating (the scandal) and half loving it. We make a reality show, these things happen. I don't think anybody believed the guy. I don't believe a word he said and I think the audience is more intelligent than that."