Were Britain's Got Talent's auditions halted after Liam Payne's passing? Details explored

The makers of Britain's Got Talent have decided to postpone its latest taping following the death of Liam Payne. The singer was known mostly as a part of the boy band One Direction.

With 17 seasons to its name, Britain's Got Talent is a popular television talent series. It is part of the Got Talent franchise originally conceived and owned by Simon Cowell through his company, Syco Entertainment. The show has spin-offs in over 69 countries and first aired in 2006.

On Thursday, October 17, a spokesperson for production and distribution company Fremantle UK sent an email to People and confirmed the news.

"Due to the tragic passing of Liam Payne, we have decided to postpone the Britain’s Got Talent auditions. Our thoughts are with Liam’s friends, family, and all who loved him," stated the email.

The group first appeared in The X Factor in 2010 which was also produced by Fremantle UK and Syco Entertainment. Simon Cowell signed them under his record label Syco Records after placing third in series 7 of the British singing competition.

Ticket organizer, Applause Store also announced on X (formerly known as Twitter) on October 17 that auditions were supposed to be filmed in Blackpool, England, and had been postponed due to Liam's passing.

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Former X Factor contestants criticize Simon after Liam Payne's passing

Soon after Liam’s death, fellow X Factor contestant and his friend Katie Waissel spoke up against Simon Cowell in a post on X on October 17. She expressed the grief she felt after his friend's passing and claimed that Simon would be a fool if he "dare put a statement out" about the loss of Liam as the whole world knew what the actual truth was, insinuating that Simon and Liam had a troubled relationship.

Katie's tweet garnered over 5 million views and more than 71,000 likes as it circulated on the internet. Katie could be often seen critiquing Simon Cowell on social media, who herself competed on the show in 2010 with Liam.

In a separate tweet, Katie called Payne her "confidant" and "rock” while criticizing Simon Cowell again for his alleged “failure to prioritize the emotional and physical welfare” of artists under his management. She also referenced a statement that Simon made in the June 10 episode of The Diary of a CEO podcast where he wished to have kept the rights to the One Direction name.

Katie left her music career and decided to pursue a law degree with the intention of suing Simon Cowell and his label, Syco Entertainment.

Singer Rebecca Ferguson also started her career with an appearance on X Factor as a contestant in 2010 with Liam Payne and she also didn't shy away from criticizing the show when she posted on October 17 on X. Reminiscing about the time they shared a cab together on their way to the audition, she slammed the show for its use of power with large contract sizes.

"I've spoken for years about the exploitation and profiteering of young stars and the effects - many of us are still living with the aftermath and the PTSD," stated Rebecca.

Tributes came flooding in from the music industry for Liam Payne and the former X Factor judge and industry specialist Sharon Osbourne criticized the music industry as a whole through her Instagram. She stated that the industry let him down and nobody was on his "corner" when he needed someone.

The X Factor's official account made a statement through X as they tweeted that they were "heartbroken by the sad passing of Liam Payne" and their "thoughts are with his friends, family and all who loved him."