The gloves came off when Howie Mandel and “The X Factor” alum Katie Waissel clashed over Liam Payne’s death and whether the singing competition show had a “duty of care” when it came to his mental health decline.
The pair appeared on “Piers Morgan Uncensored,” where they got into a heated exchange over the “legal and moral duty” between the show, its participants and Simon Cowell’s Syco Entertainment company, which owns the “Got Talent” and “The X Factor” franchises.
Mandel is a judge of the US competition show “America’s Got Talent.” Waissel competed in the UK’s “X Factor” for Season 7 alongside Liam in 2010.
“When it comes to participants on those types of shows myself … there is a legal and moral duty of care, which should be upheld and adhered to,” argued Waissel, to which Mandel interjected by saying he believes everyone has a “moral and legal duty to take care of those people that we come across in life.”
He drove home his point by claiming that every competition show he’s worked on has psychologists on staff for those struggling, adding contestants who are “rejected” seem to have a “harder” time.
When other guests on the show, including James Barr, who had earlier told Mandel, “You are on the payroll! … The entertainment industry and the shows you work for are also responsible,” disagreed, the “AGT” judge cut them off.
“If we feel that somebody is going south, there is somebody there to talk to them and we do watch over them,” he stated.
But Waissel pushed back, claiming there was “no duty of care” when she was on “X Factor,” alleging that the welfare officer provided was “absolutely unqualified beyond measure.”
It was a chaotic interview, with Waissel often shaking her head and rolling her eyes, specifically when Piers began speaking about Payne’s alleged “erratic” behavior and the drug paraphernalia found in his room after his death.
At several points of the fiery exchange, guests cut one another off, including Piers, who seemingly sided with Mandel.
Piers repeatedly insulted Waissel, telling her she is not comparable to One Direction because she “came tenth in a reality show.”
At the end of the 34-minute clip on YouTube, Piers and Waissel accuse each other of making assumptions about Liam. Piers points to her discussing his mental health struggles while she fires back that he repeatedly brought up drugs.
“I don’t need to play into this. I am here to talk about the tragic loss of our dear friend, Liam. Thank you very much,” Waissel said in a teaser for the episode.
She is calling for law enforcement and the entertainment industry to take action.
“We must call for investigations into historic cases, especially those that have been silenced by misused non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) and confidentiality clauses, or swept aside due to the statute of limitations. These victims deserve to have their voices heard and their pain acknowledged,” she wrote on X in part.
Payne died at 31 on Oct. 16 after falling from the third-floor balcony of his hotel room in Argentina.
The One Direction singer had a toxic mixture of drugs in his system, including “pink cocaine” — a combination of methamphetamine, ketamine and ecstasy — benzodiazepine, crack and cocaine, according to ABC News.
“The X Factor.” Ken McKay/Talkback Thames/Shutterstock
Investigators are still working around the clock to determine if Payne fell or jumped after initial statements and the autopsy differed.
His One Direction bandmates broke their silence in a joint statement days after his death.
Payne left behind a son named Bear Grey, 7, whom he shares with his ex, Girls Aloud singer Cheryl Cole.