Posted 2 hours agoSubscribe to BuzzFeed Daily NewsletterCaret DownAfter Simon Cowell Reflected On Liam Payne's Death, Here's How A Former "X Factor" Contestant Responded"What happened to us was structural, patterned, and deeply harmful."by Mychal ThompsonBuzzFeed StaffFacebookPinterestLink Singer and former X Factor contestant Katie Waissel had a lot to say about Simon Cowell's recent comments about Liam Payne and One Direction. Ben A. Pruchnie / Getty Images In an interview with Rolling Stone, Simon reflected on Liam's passing and addressed criticism for not providing enough support for the bandmates. "The idea that you are essentially responsible for somebody's life, 10 years after you've signed someone? You can't do that," he said. Dominic Lipinski / Getty Images The TV personality and record executive said Liam visited him a year before his death. "I remember saying, 'Music is not everything. Don't let it run your life anymore. Find something else that you are passionate about.'" Amanda Edwards / Getty Images "You ask yourself that question: 'Could I have done anything more?'" Simon continued. "What would've happened to Liam if he hadn't been in the band?' Having spoken to his mom and dad recently, all they kept telling me was he was so proud of what he had achieved. I wish I could turn back the clock, of course. When I spoke to him that day, I felt really good about him. I thought, 'Wow, you seem in a really good place.'" PG/Bauer-Griffin / GC Images Katie, who competed on Season 7 with Liam, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan, and Zayn Malik, posted a lengthy statement on X in response to Simon's interview. Ben A. Pruchnie / Getty Images "While he expresses personal sadness and regret, his statements present a distorted and incomplete account of the reality experienced by many of us who were held via contract under his structures," Katie began. Sky News "When Liam passed away, the entire world saw my public reaction," she continued. "It was not a reaction to fame, or grief alone, or the pressures of the music industry in general; it was a reaction rooted in first-hand experience of the duty-of-care failures, coercive pressures, and systemic harms that were present during our time under Cowell's management umbrella." Mike Marsland / Getty Images Katie shared how back in 2010, the contestants were "young, isolated, tightly contracted, bound by NDAs, and operating in what can only be described as survival mode." Mike Marsland / WireImage "The power imbalance was absolute," she said. "The conditions were psychologically suffocating. We lacked the language, the support, and the legal understanding to identify, let alone challenge, what we now know were serious safeguarding and ethical breaches." Karwai Tang / WireImage She went on to suggest Simon's statements omit the harsh conditions involved in a reality TV competition show that she believes leads to mental health struggles for artists like herself and Liam. "What happened to us was structural, patterned, and deeply harmful," Katie said, in response to Simon asking if he could've done more. "To suggest otherwise is to reframe tragedy as unexpected, when in truth many of us were shouting - privately, then publicly - about the same mechanisms of harm long before the world lost Liam." Katie challenged Simon's statement that "music is not everything," suggesting that during their contracted years, the artists didn't feel like they had the space to pursue other passions. "We were given one option: obey, perform, survive," she wrote. Danny Martindale / FilmMagic "To invoke hindsight wisdom now - without acknowledging the realities we were subjected to - further entrenches the myth that these tragedies occurred in a vacuum rather than within systems he built, profited from, and continues to control," she added. Simon Earl/Bauer-Griffin / GC Images Katie's statement has reached thousands on social media, with some people expressing that she's brave to speak up on the matter. @BlissfulChelle / x.com Some shared that her comments are relevant in today's world because of health concerns related to the entertainment industry. @KristyMartinMA1 / x.com Others defended Simon, suggesting it's not his fault, but a reflection of the issues in the entertainment industry. @DebbieWray6 / x.com @nooneknowsmeso / x.com You can read her full response here. What are your thoughts? Share your responses in the comments. The National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline is 1-800-950-6264 (NAMI) and provides information and referral services; GoodTherapy.org is an association of mental health professionals from more than 25 countries who support efforts to reduce harm in therapy.