Simon Cowell Gives Ryan Seacrest Two-and-a-Half Stars for Emmys

09/17/2007 at 07:00 PM EDT

It was inevitable: Simon Cowell had to weigh in on Ryan Seacrest's performance at the Emmy Awards.

"There were a few uncomfortable moments," the caustic American Idol judge told Extra. "We were expecting a two, so I'm going to give him a two-and-a-half. So he did better than expected."

Asked if the rest of the Idol crew had spoken to Seacrest after Sunday's big show, Cowell said, "No, he's gone into hiding."

Fellow judge Randy Jackson added, "Deep hiding."

Meanwhile, the Nielsen ratings were heard from, too. Facing heavy competition from NBC's Sunday Night Football, FOX's broadcast of the Emmys with Seacrest as host attracted its smallest audience since 1990.

An estimated 13.1 million people tuned in to the TV awards Sunday, down 19 percent from last year, when the Emmys, on NBC, averaged 16.1 million viewers.



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