X Factor fan Noel Gallagher declared that the show has been "no good" since the departure of Simon Cowell.
The former Oasis guitarist, who turned down a mentoring role on the programme, said it had worked better with the music supremo as head of the judging panel.
Asked what he thought of the latest series of X Factor, he replied: "No good without Simon Cowell in it."
Gallagher - whose debut solo album is top of the chart - was speaking on the red carpet as he arrived at the Q Awards. He was named Q Icon at the awards ceremony.
The musician's comments came as a decline in viewing figures coincided with a change in the line-up of judges, now headed up by Take That singer Gary Barlow.
Over the weekend, the show's rating woes continued as BBC rival Strictly Come Dancing gained in excess of a million more viewers when the two shows overlapped for the second week running. ITV1's the X Factor saw its audience down by almost two million compared to the equivalent show in 2010.
X Factor's audience peaked at 11.5 million on Saturday, while Strictly saw its highest point at 11 million, however.