‘X Factor’ Lip Syncer Leroy Bell Laughs Off Criticism

When 'X Factor' contestant Leroy Bell was caught lip syncing during an ensemble performance, people immediately began criticizing the singing competition for allowing the practice. Although many fans of the FOX show are up in arms over the lip syncing controversy, 60-year-old Bell is laughing it off.

"When I saw it, I just fell out laughing," Bell said to The Hollywood Reporter. "I was like, ‘What the heck?’ It’s like a spoof or something."

Although lip syncing is not a laughing matter when it comes to music biz, Bell has a reason to be giggle about the flub. After the show aired and people caught Bell bringing his mic to his mouth after his vocals began, FOX admitted to using prerecorded vocals for ensemble performances and also stated that many other singing competitions do the same.

Bell elaborated on FOX's statement, telling THR, "The whole thing is people don’t know that we prerecord those performances and it’s only for that ensemble thing where we have the whole cast, because we have so much stuff to learn every week ... We have to have a ‘save me’ song and we have another song. So, we don’t want to waste time doing the ensemble song. So, we prerecord it and that’s that. But, I was having one of those moments – I wasn’t paying attention. It’s kind of funny, though."

Bell isn't the only laughing, however. His 'X Factor' competitors are having a great time teasing the singer. "That’s the best part of the competition for us," Leeland Stephenson (aka Trace Kennedy), one of the members of Stereo Hogzz, said. "Of any video before I go to sleep every night, I at least watch it 10 times and I just think, 'Hm, that’s why you don’t put people on there that’s 60 years old.'"