Seacrest: Cowell is "arrogant, pompous"

American Idol host Ryan Seacrest told CNN's Larry King on Tuesday night that Simon Cowell is "arrogant" and "pompous."

In response to King's question as to whether Cowell is "pompous and egotistical off the air," Seacrest responded:

"Is he pompous? I think it's a mild term to use. Yes. He's arrogant, he's pompous, he believes that everything he says is right. He drives you crazy."

Seacrest attributed some of Cowell's attitude to the success of the show having gone to his head:

"He's a major part of the show. He was a big part of it before it came over to the United States of America. I think that's the problem with our relationship with Simon, is that he's extremely aware of how important he is to the success of the programme."