Howie Mandel gets into fiery exchange over Liam Paynes death with X Factor alum

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 U.S.competition show “America’s Got Talent.” Waissel competed in the U.K.’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 ...