New American Idol judge Ellen DeGeneres has hit out at show boss Simon Cowell, for turning up late to show recordings.

Ellen is the permanent replacement of Paula Abdul who quit late last year. On her first day she moved up the taping of “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” so she could at the AI set on time, of course Simon Cowell didn’t waltz in until an hour later.

“Here it was the first day of taping of the Hollywood shows, and Ellen was there waiting for Simon to show up,” an insider told Deadline Hollywood. “Ellen’s new to the gig and she’s very organized and she made a commitment to take this on, and now she’s asking herself, ‘What did I get myself into?’ She called Simon Cowell a prima donna. So right from the start, the chemistry isn’t great.”

Luckily, Ellen only has to tolerate Mr Cowell for one season, since he has recently announced that this one will be his last.

Ellen reportedly asked FOX alternative programming chief Mike Darnell to “hurry up and pick” his replacement.