Ryan Seacrest: Simon Cowell Was Jealous Of Me

'American Idol': new judges, same old rivalries.

Speaking to Entertainment Weekly in their new issue, 'Idol' host Ryan Seacrest called out ex-judge Simon Cowell, saying he was, "just so jealous of me... from Day One, he was envious of my career at such a young age."

That quote from the magazine appeared in the NY Post, not EW's website's brief writeup of the story.

Cowell, the prickly British judge who shot to prominence with his harsh criticism of contestants, left after last season to helm upcoming talent show 'The X Factor.'

During last season's finale, Seacrest was singing a different tune -- on air, at least. "We really are going to miss you. You are a dear friend and we wouldn't be here without you," he told Cowell.

In January, Seacrest had Cowell on his radio show, and expressed similarly positive sentiment.

"I know this won't sound sincere, but I'm very happy that you're happy," he told the then-judge. I'm wishing you very, very good ratings, but I'm wishing us better ratings. Look, no one wants to see anyone fail after we've been through this much."

In fact, in 2009, Seacrest and Cowell even hit up a strip club together.

Randy Jackson, the lone remaining of the original judges, was more diplomatic. "Look, it's definitely been interesting," he told the magazine. "We definitely miss [Simon], but it's a different kind of vibe. It's a different kind of energy now."

For more, click over to Entertainment Weekly.