Drawing on socio-constructivist identity construction approaches and a newly reviewed, discursive, 'genre' approach to im/politeness, this article explores the links between identity co-construction and impoliteness in the UK and US versions of the talent show Idol. This innovative method connects im/politeness to identity, rather then to the concept of face. It examines the linguistic resources used by Simon Cowell to establish his expert identity and the potential role of impoliteness therein.