Katie Waissel
@katiewaissel24 • 164,667 subscribers
Freedom fighter | Justice seeker | Founder @owhl_hq
Videos
My response to Simon Cowell’s comments about me on The Rest Is Entertainment podcast. Marina Hyde bravely asked the question countless people have wanted posed: what does Simon think about former contestants seeking accountability? She referenced me, Katie Waissel, and my retraining in law. His reply was telling. “They’ve got it in for me” and “they knew what they were signing up for.” Those claims reveal more than he realises. Let me be very clear: we did not know what we were signing up for. We were not offered independent legal advice. Having retrained in law and reread the paperwork, those documents were contracts for service which removed basic legal protections. The very first paragraph stated that if we did not sign, someone else would. That is not choice. That is coercion. To frame legitimate safeguarding concerns and trauma as personal attacks shifts responsibility back onto the vulnerable. For a man who built an empire on aspiring performers, dismissing these issues in this way is profoundly irresponsible. His suggestion that former contestants “have it in for him” reframes systemic failures as malicious intent. Either he knows exactly what occurred within his companies, or he truly has no knowledge of what took place under his watch. If it is the latter, that raises serious questions about oversight and responsibility. Through extensive Subject Access Requests, I hold internal communications between SYCO staff, production personnel and individuals presented as ‘welfare’ contacts. I hold the original contracts and releases, rusty staples still attached. I hold legal correspondence, financial disclosures, timelines, metadata and press communications. I additionally possess contracts and internal materials relating to the acquisition of my then existing U.S. record deal prior to the live shows, retaining my full back catalogue of music I had written. I also hold documentation concerning legal communications about the sexual assault and trauma I reported involving a SYCO employee. According to the records in my possession, that individual remained employed, and further allegations later emerged. I further hold internal communication involving media contacts, including someone positioned in my life as a close friend. Only years later did it become clear through documentation that their professional alignment was with protecting Simon Cowell and the company narrative, not protecting me. To suggest contestants were “informed” about what to expect is particularly troubling when one considers the historical context of media manipulation surrounding these productions. Simon was represented at the time by figures later linked publicly to unethical press practices. The Leveson Inquiry exists for a reason. I hold documentation relevant to this aspect as well. In other words: the evidence exists. So if Simon genuinely believes his own narrative, I extend a formal invitation to my company O.W.H.L office for him to review the evidence first hand. I will walk him through the files step by step, line by line, contract by contract. If he requires guidance to understand what occurred, I am prepared to provide it. If he accepts, perhaps there is a path forward where accountability becomes action. If he declines, the refusal will speak volumes. This industry is small. And the truth has a way of surfacing. The era of hiding behind PR and selective ignorance is over.
Katie Waissel274,839 görüntüleme • 8 ay önce
*Trigger Warning* - this was incredibly hard but I couldn’t have done this without BHTV.UK ! Thank you for fighting the good fight! It’s been 18 years since I opened for you guys, and serendipitously, here we are. This is Pt1 of more to come, thank you all for your ongoing and continued support always. #truth #justice #thegoodfight #facts #musicindustry ( @cbmsilence thank you for all you’re doing too!)
Katie Waissel43,258 görüntüleme • 1 yıl önce
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