Will in blast at ‘second best’ Si

WILL.I.AM took a swipe at Simon Cowell by boasting The Voice is now the top singing show on ITV.

He claimed viewers are sick of Cowell’s X Factor because it is too negative.

And in another dig, Will joked it is “s***” for Simon, 57, to see his former protégée Jennifer Hudson starring in a rival series.

The X Factor has been ITV’s flagship singing show for more than a decade but that could all change now the network has poached The Voice.

Will, 41, says viewers are fed up with misery on telly and prefer positive shows such as The Voice.

He told the Daily Star Sunday: “Now we all have these phones and the ability to block bad content because we’re all tired of it. We don’t like bullying.

“We have these devices and we have the ability to decide what we want to see. Negative comments aren’t the best in a world where you turn on the TV and

see peo- ED GLEAVE ple doing the most awful things to each other. Optimism is good today when news is so pessimistic.” Will and Simon have been rivals for years and telly insiders predict The Voice’s move to ITV could kill off The X Factor. In the past Will has branded Cowell “a monster” and slammed his Mr Nasty persona. The new series of The Voice has seen Gavin Rossdale, 51, and Jennifer Hudson join and Sir Tom Jones, 76, return. Jennifer, 35, found fame in 2004 when she came seventh on American Idol – one of Simon’s shows. But her success on The Voice could prove a nightmare for him. Will said: “How do you think Simon will feel that someone he said ‘no’ to is leading the show on his home network? Come on, to me that’s s*** right there. “She was on Simon’s show and now she’s a competitor on the network. I’ve got a question for Simon: How do you feel about that?” Will took months to decide if he would stay on The Voice when it moved to ITV. Even after he signed he was worried the new producers would ruin the format. He said: “I was afraid when they changed the editor – like, ‘Oh my god this is going to be horrible’, but then I’m like, ‘ Wow this is awesome’.”