Why is Steve Jones not as polished as "American Idol" vet Ryan Seacrest in his first season as "X Factor" host? Jones says an earpiece -- with screaming producers on the other end -- is the culprit.
"The producers screaming in my ear … I’m wearing an earpiece and there’s about five people screaming, 'Shut Paula up. Shut her up now. Move on!'" Jones tells Ellen DeGeneres on her daytime talk show Tuesday. "I’m going to have hearing damage in this ear by the end of (the) series.
"I feel terrible, because I feel on occasions I’m coming across as rude and abrupt, and that’s really not me. I cherish every word that comes out of Paula … but, you know, it’s a two-hour long show, we’re in limited time, and we need a conclusion, otherwise it will just kind of end and nothing will have happened."
Read more: 'X Factor': Why It's the Most Exhausting Show on TV
Check out a video clip of Jones' "Ellen" appearance below, in which he also talks about being a model and goes shirtless when the host gives him a new, Simon Cowell-friendly shirt:
