Simon Cowell sparks backlash after revealing his 'one regret' over One Direction

One Direction fans are all saying the same thing about Simon Cowell after speaking of his ‘regret’ about the boyband.

Cowell signed One Direction back in 2011 after they shot to fame on the seventh series of The X Factor.

The band went on to have four number one singles including their 2011 debut ‘What Makes You Beautiful’ and conquered the world before splitting in 2016.

But despite them making millions, becoming one of the biggest groups the world has ever seen, Cowell admitted that he does have one regret.

Simon Cowell and the One Direction lads. (Dave M. Benett/WireImage)

Speaking on the Steven Bartlett’s Diary of a CEO podcast, the 64-year-old revealed he wished he'd kept the name.

“I should have owned the name," Cowell admitted.

“That is my only regret, so if you are listening, I will buy it back from you."

You probably won't be surprised to learn that fans of the multi-award-winning boyband didn't have too much sympathy for the producer.

Taking to social media, plenty shared their thoughts on his remark - and they didn't hold back.

“Nothing unites the fandom more than our collective hate for Simon Cowell," wrote one user.

Another 1D superfan added: “You can call me petty or childish but there is nothing I hate more in entire world than Simon Cowell.”

Cowell admitted he regrets not keeping the name. (YouTube/Diary of a CEO)

Someone else wrote: “We were wrong about a lot of things in 2012 regarding One Direction but we were also right about a lot! One of those things being our insane hatred of Simon Cowell.”

While many Directioners weren't happy about the music mogul's appearance on the podcast, others were vocal about how well they thought TV's 'Mr Nasty' came across.

One viewer wrote: "I wasn't expecting Simon Cowell, he's much more different than I expected, so much to learn from his story. He has grown, and it's beautiful."

Another commenter said: "This is absolutely one of the best interviews I have ever watched. Simon has so much wisdom, he’s so genuine and his beautiful energy and kindness is one of the best things about him."