No, you did not misread that headline, and yes, it is accurate. Simon Cowell, former judge on American Idol and The X-Factor, actually did collapse and faint after being hypnotized during auditions on Britain’s Got Talent. By a dog.
Yes, a dog.
From the UK’s Metro:
A woman appeared on the show with her German Spitz called Princess, telling the music mogul the mutt could hypnotise anyone just by staring at them.
According to The Sun, Simon took the challenge, hopping up on stage and making eye contact with the pooch.
All seemed fine until he returned to his seat and seemingly fainted.
He allegedly retook his position with the panel, then commented to Amanda Holden, Alesha Dixon and David Walliams that he felt strange.
Then he collapsed off camera.
The dog apparently had to be brought back in order to break the spell. “It was the freakiest moment we’ve ever seen,” a source said.
According to the BBC, Cowell was able to return to auditions the next day.
This is the dog in question. No word on whether the dog was “pitchy.”
