Louis Walsh has again come under fire from Jedward after his scathing attack on Celebrity Big Brother, as the singing duo brand him a ‘snake’.
The talent show judge, 71, said that twins John and Edward Grimes were ‘vile’ in a conversation on the show, prompting the singers to hit back with a fiery exchange.
And now Jedward, both 32, have again slammed the former talent manager as part of a post for St Patrick’s Day.
‘Happy Paddy’s Day,’ the duo posted on X, formerly Twitter. ‘Hope St.Patrick slays Louis the snake.’
Former contestants of the ITV singing competition leapt to Jedward’s defence this week after Louis’s comments on CBB, hitting out at him on X.
Katie Waissel, who has previously claimed that her stint on the show back in 2010 ‘ruined her life’, accused Louis of being part of a ‘manipulative and coercive’ environment behind the scenes.
In an impassioned tweet on Wednesday, the show star stood up for Jedward as she doubled down on her claims that a public inquiry should be launched into the programme.
Katie shared: ‘@planetjedward firstly, having met you both personally, I can unequivocally state that you are by no means ‘vile’ , if anything you are both absolutely the contrary to this! I stand firmly behind you in your corner, always.
‘What I wish for the general public to take from this, is that Louis Walsh, former XFactor judge, has confirmed and revealed on national television, the tip of the iceberg of abuse, manipulation and coercion that went on behind the scenes on the XFactor, of which myself and many others have spoken publicly about.
‘By stating he (Louis Walsh) made £5million off of Jedward, immediately after calling them ‘vile’ and stating that they made ‘great tv’, in itself, only but further confirms how the show was disturbingly manufactured and manipulated.
‘This is not the first time a former judge has disclosed contradictory and manipulated tactics to secure contestants, all in the while, completely unbeknownst to the contestants themselves.
‘All contestants were lead to believe they entered a singing competition, as did the general public.
‘There are serious and significant issues that need to be addressed, and further remedied, by all parties involved in the making, producing and broadcasting of the now cancelled show, XFactor, as well as a public inquiry to be held, to ensure the future of music and television is protected through their findings, to update policy, regulation, and legislation. #CBBUK #LouisWalsh #Jedward [sic].’
As one one follower suggested they would like to see Katie and Jedward enter the Big Brother house to confront Louis, Katie revealed she had already approached them, tweeting: ‘I verbatim asked production to give me just five minutes.’
Steve Brookstein, who won the inaugural season of X Factor in 2004 with Simon Cowell as his mentor, also didn’t hold back with his criticism of Louis, claiming he had now been vindicated in branding the star a ‘c***’.
He tweeted on Tuesday: ’20 years ago I said Louis Walsh was a c*** and only now people are realising it. Better late than never.’
Steve has not been shy of sharing his thoughts on Louis and fellow X Factor judge Sharon Osbourne during their time on Celebrity Big Brother, previously sharing: ‘If people saw Sharon Osbourne and Louis Walsh for what they are – they wouldn’t be watching #cbbuk.’
MailOnline contacted Freemantle, Thames TV, ITV and Louis’ representatives for comment.
Louis has caused outrage after labelling the twin brothers, John and Edward Grimes ‘vile’, when he was quizzed on what he thought of them by his co-star Colson Smith.
The remarks were one of the latest in a string of bizarre rants about fellow celebs, which have also been aimed at Adele, James Corden and Ronan Keating.
During the exchange, Louis revealed that he had ‘made £5million’ from the double act during his time as their manager between 2009 and 2013.
Soon after the comments aired on ITV, John and Edward took X to dispute Louis’ claims and branded him a ‘cold-hearted b****d’.
Colson had asked Louis, who managed the pair four four years: ‘What were Jedward like?’
The Irishman replied: ‘They were vile.’
Colson said: ‘They’ve done well’, and Louis said: ‘I got £5million from them. I swear on my mother’s life.’
Clearly impressed, Colson quipped back: ‘B****y hell, I wish I had a Jedward.’
Doubling down on his opinion, Louis added: ‘And they were vile. But they were novelty. It was great for the show. It was all about the show.’
That saw the brothers – now 32 – launch into a series of scathing online accusations in response.
They kicked off by calling him a ‘cold-hearted b****d who didn’t even send us flowers when our mom died’ – the twins lost their mum Susanna to cancer in 2019.
Following the music manager’s remarks, Jedward insisted that ‘justice would be served’, as they continued the tirade on their X account.
One of the tweets shared by the brothers claimed: ‘Louis Walsh is an evil manipulator who forced us into an office to pay £70k from our bank account to one of his own PR workers.’
Another said: ‘Louis Walsh b****d and talked about us to our best friend Tara Reid and then we fired him!’
A final tweet read: ‘Louis reopened these wounds all by himself being spiteful and disrespectful we aren’t going to have our character taken. Justice will be served.’
During the episode, Jedward were having dinner with their close friend and former TOWIE star Gemma Collins.
Gemma quickly jumped to their defence on Instagram as she admitted she ‘couldn’t believe’ what was being said.
She posted: ‘Shocked to see what was said about my boys. They are the sweetest, talented, polite, educated, kind boys I’ve ever met hence why they are always in my company!! TEAM JEDWARD. #Jedward’.
The Irish music mogul Walsh managed the pair between 2009 and 2013, but things turned sour when, in 2016, Walsh described the duo as ‘the most embarrassing thing to happen to him’.
That’s despite boasting of making millions after Jedward’s first two albums went platinum in Ireland, while they also represented their country at Eurovision in 2011 and 2012.
Ironically Louis defended the brothers during The X Factor in 2009 when Simon Cowell called them ‘vile’ – the same term he used in the CBB house.
He argued that they were ‘innocent children’ at the time, when Simon hissed that they were ‘vile little creatures’.
Elsewhere in the Jedward biography, Louis continues to fawn over his charges. He said: ‘You either have that special something or you don’t and I thought that they had it in spades… they are nice to everybody, from the people on the street to the people in the record company – and that’s why they have so many fans.
‘Everyone wants to work with them because they are just so hard-working and genuinely nice. John and Edward make the people that they meet smile and they make them feel special – that is their secret and that is what sets them apart from a lot of people.
‘Their attitude is 100 per cent positive all of the time and that is why they are where they are now.’
Despite that, the twins say in the book that one of their manager’s primary pieces of advice to them was ‘always break the rules’.
John added: ‘Louis always tells us to never follow the rules and always break out and be different: but we don’t attention seek, things just work out well for us.’
But Louis maintained that the quiff-topped singers were the perfect pop stars to work with.
He said: ‘They never complain and they just want to work, work, work – how would I ever regret taking them on?
‘The boys are a manager’s dream and they are having the time of their lives… I wish every act was like that and then there would be no trouble: Jedward are the best-behaved group I have ever came across in 30 years in the business.’
Louis is even quoted backstage before a Dublin show boasting: ‘I have never seen either of them in a bad mood.’
The official book also reveals that in their first flush of fame Louis put the brakes on a proposed appearance for the twins on Celebrity Big Brother in 2010, stating: ‘They just weren’t prepared to give us enough money.’
He bragged by April 2010 that he was turning down countless jobs for Jedward as the money rolled in with the pair booked solid for months.
Louis said: ‘Everyone wanted them, from Celebrity Big Brother to huge magazines, and we have just had to turn down so many people.
‘They can’t be everywhere so we have to go with the best offers for them and things that are going to stand for John and Edward, long-term.
‘They are now signed to Next Models and this is going to be huge for them. If they weren’t pop stars, then they could easily be models – anyone can see that.’
But the brothers would go on CBB a year later – 2011 – alongside when they finished third and became best pals with US actress Tara Reid in the process.
Louis – who once claimed he turned down a million pounds to go in the I’m A Celebrity jungle – then followed suit by going into the house this year.
While furore over Louis’ comments continues to build outside the house, fears have been sparked that he could quit CBB following close friend Sharon’s exit.
It has been claimed Louis had made it clear he would not sign up for the show without Sharon – meaning he is now at risk of walking.
Sharon was in the house for a week as a ‘Celebrity Lodger’ and headed home on Tuesday night’s live show. It is thought she has been paid £500,000 for the stint.
If Louis does leave, he will still reportedly receive his full fee which is believed to be a whopping six figures.
A source told The Sun of his potential exit: ‘Louis would only go into the show with Sharon booked in there with him. CBB pulled out all the stops to make it happen.
‘They know Louis is a flight risk now Sharon is gone and no one would be surprised if he left. Louis will still receive his full fee, so he has nothing to lose.
‘Without Sharon he will be lost as they have such a close friendship in the house. Everyone is on high alert for Louis to throw in the towel, but he’s making such good television, the producers are praying that he will stay.’
James Parker is a UK-based entertainment aficionado who delves into the glitz and glamour of the entertainment industry. From Hollywood to the West End, he offers readers an insider’s perspective on the world of movies, music, and pop culture.
