Simon Cowell is responding to fans who think he has grown soft as a judge. "I probably have. I would say also that the acts got better, to be fair," Cowell, 65, exclusively shared with Us Weekly while celebrating the America's Got Talent season 20 semi-finals with Lavazza on Tuesday, September 16. "I mean, when we were first doing this, some of the acts that we saw were just terrible, and I don't know if I'd say it quite the same way, but I would certainly say to them if they were as bad again, 'You're terrible.' I can't lie to people.