X Factor icons Jedward have hit back at Louis Walsh branding them ‘vile’ in his shocking Celebrity Big Brother rant.
John and Edward Grimes shot to fame on the reality competition in 2009, before being managed by Louis until 2013.
Their feud in recent years has been reignited numerous times, with the Eurovision stars blasting Louis after he reportedly called them ‘the most embarrassing thing to happen to him’.
The singers later took aim once again, writing in 2021: ‘Louis Walsh at this point only wants acts to manage to make it look like he’s doing something! He’s a cold hearted two faced b***h who uses his powers for his own benefit!’
And following the 71-year-old’s vicious rant on Celebrity Big Brother, in which he claimed Jedward were ‘vile’, the pair have addressed their difficult relationship with the music manager.
Speaking to Metro.co.uk ahead of performing at EuroSmash, they said: ‘We treated Louis with kindness and respect but he took advantage of our easy-going nature and ultimately didn’t have the best intentions for us to evolve as artists.
‘He’s known for being b***hy and gossiping about everyone.’
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They added: ‘We aren’t alone: many other acts have had similar experiences with him. No one needs the negativity trying to stop you from being the best version of yourself.’
Addressing Louis’ harsh words on Celebrity Big Brother, and calling it ‘the most outrageously untrue thing’ they’ve heard said about them, Jedward blasted: ‘Some person called us vile which was very uncalled for but the overwhelming love and support the public surrounded us with was really reassuring.’
Louis had been asked what it was like working with the Irish duo during his stint on the ITV reality programme, to which he said: ‘They were vile. They were vile, but they were great. I got 5 million quid for them, I swear on my mother’s life But they were vile. But they were novelty, it was great for the show, and it was all about the show.’
Talking about the brutal world of television talent shows and pop music, with the likes of Rebecca Ferguson having spoken about her negative experiences on The X Factor, the twin brothers added: ‘The industry needs a complete overhaul and people in powerful positions need to be investigated and held responsible so the mistakes won’t happen again. There needs to be more clarity for the artists, and organisations need to be set up for their well-being and protection of talent.’
Having risen to fame at the age of 17, the now 32-year-olds also revealed the pressure they faced over their image in the noughties and early 2010s.
They shared: ‘We definitely had a major pressure put on us to be a certain way like all pop artists of the early 2010s.
‘It was the Lady Gaga era so everything had to be larger than life. We definitely found ourselves in situations that weren’t acceptable but at the time we weren’t aware of how things should have been.’
Now though, with plans to set up a podcast and the dream of having their own talk show, the duo admitted they’re ‘more comfortable in ourselves’ and ‘working on things we want to do’.
They added: ‘We have a great relationship with our fans and want to keep moving forward in life personally and professionally. We aren’t afraid to give a voice to those that have been silenced or need our support.’
This isn’t the first time Jedward have called out Louis over his alleged past comments and behaviour, and in recent weeks, have slammed their former manager over his Celebrity Big Brother comments.
The pair ditched Louis in 2013, hiring their late mother to become their manager instead, and while it’s unclear whether they’ve remained in contact with him over the years, they had a pretty strong response to being branded ‘vile’.
After that particular episode of Celebrity Big Brother aired, the pair wrote on X: ‘Louis Walsh is a cold hearted b*****d who didn’t even send us flowers when our mom died.’
Their mother, Suzannah, died from cancer in 2019. They have previously described her as ‘our biggest fan, supportive and wanted us to go out there and express ourselves’.
In further tweets, the official Jedward account claimed they ‘fired’ Louis after he ‘b*****d and talked about us,’ and described him as an ‘evil manipulator’ who ‘tried to make us sign our name and life away… without our mom we wouldn’t be here today! What an absolute weirdo with bad intentions for all.’
Bringing up past feuds, they went on: ‘Girls aloud hate Louis! Jedward hate Louis! Ronan Keating hates Louis! All future acts should be made aware of what this VILE man is really like.’
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‘Louis reopened these wounds all by himself being spiteful and disrespectful we aren’t going to have our character taken,’ they said, concluding: ‘Justice will be served.’
They later sent fans wild with a savage St Patrick’s Day message, calling Louis a ‘snake’, as they let rip: ‘Happy Paddy’s Day ☘️ hope St. Patrick slays Louis the snake 🐍’
EuroSmash Festival is taking place at London’s Woolwich Works on May 4, eurosmash.co.uk
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Celebrity Big Brother is available to watch on ITVX.
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