Simon Cowell Was 'About to Jump Off a Cliff' When He Heard About Zayn

Simon Cowell, the man largely responsible for One Direction’s existence as a boy band, dropped by The Late Late Show on Thursday. When James Corden asked him where he was when he heard Zayn Malik wanted to leave the band, Cowell replied, “About to jump off a cliff.” Cowell continued, more seriously, “I kind of knew this was coming, if I was honest with you…we had a few conversations, he wasn’t happy and I was trying to say to him, ‘Look, I think you should stay around a bit longer,’ and then something in him said, 'No, I’ve had enough.’”