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Brian Dunkleman reveals the moment ‘American Idol’ broke him emotionally: 'Really cruel...'

"I just went and found a corner behind a curtain; I just started crying, and I don't know why it affected me so much," Dunkleman recalled.

'American Idol' is on its 23rd season with returning judges Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie and the latest addition replacing Katy Perry, Carrie Underwood, along with the evergreen host Ryan Seacrest. 'American Idol' has been running for over 25 years now, and while the show has come a long way since then, springboarding various musical careers, fans have raised various ethical concerns around the show over the years.

From weird comments by the judges to the judges being biased, the show has faced various controversies and continues to do so with each season, and it's only natural for a reality TV show to spark debates such as this. However, a report by Screen Rant suggests that the situation was even worse earlier. Firstly, Ryan Seacrest wasn't the sole host throughout the series. Brian Dunkleman, a name 'Idol' fans might have long forgotten, was the co-host along with Seacrest on season 1.

The judges' panel has changed throughout the years as 'American Idol' has evolved as a show; however, one judge that left a lasting impact on everyone and struck fear in contestants was Simon Cowell. With a blunt nature and straightforward attitude, Cowell was despised by contestants but loved by the fans because, of course, criticism makes for good TV. Dunkleman recently appeared on the Still Here Hollywood podcast as he went on to spill the beans about the events that unfolded in 'American Idol.' According to Dunkleman, the most asked question for him was, "If Simon is really that harsh?" to which Dunkleman stated how the 'AGT' founder was actually a really nice person with a great sense of humor.

The 'Idol' season one co-host then went on to speak about his experience during the auditions as he shared his empathy with the contestants: "You're spending a lot of time with these kids in the line, and you're getting to know them. There was a stretch for an hour straight where kid after kid came, and every one of them was bawling." Dunkleman opened up about the emotional toll the 'Idol' audition experience took on him: "I just went and found a corner behind a curtain; I just started crying, and I don't know why it affected me so much."

The comedian empathized with the contestants getting rejected, stating how the process is 'not easy.' He then went on to talk about how bad the first season was: "It was really, really cruel, the first season, and that's kind of what made the show such a hit. It was how mean Simon was; he was hated, he got death threats in England, he came here, and everybody loved the guy." Despite Deadline reporting that "Cowell’s trademark bluntness was a bit manufactured," the fact still remains that various contestants were affected by such 'cruel' behavior in 'American Idol's' nascent stage.