Quentin Tarantino has come out of the closet - by admitting he's a Simon Cowell fan.

The movie legend never misses an episode of American Idol, the popular US show where acid-tongued Cowell serves as a judge.

"He's why I watch 'American Idol'. I like the singers, but I watch it to hear him," said Tarantino.

"He's a good critic, he's not rude, he's honest. I watch it with a bunch of black girls and they're like, 'Simon's always right' and 'there's Simon keepin' it real'."