Simon Cowell ‘Rarely’ Talks to Ryan Seacrest After ‘American Idol’ Departure

Where do Simon Cowell and Ryan Seacrest stand today?

The music mogul opened up about his relationship with Seacrest — longtime host of American Idol, where Cowell served as a judge for nine seasons — in a new interview with The New York Times, explaining that they “rarely talk now.”

Seacrest’s name came up as Cowell, 66, discussed his time as a judge on Idol from its 2002 premiere through his exit after season 9 in 2010. Cowell claimed he “can’t answer” why the Wheel of Fortune host, 50, remains popular in culture but noted, “He does work hard.”

“He was very, very ambitious,” explained Cowell of Seacrest. “I didn’t follow his career, so I don’t know what he’s done. We rarely talk now.”

Cowell then reflected on Seacrest’s ambition during their time on American Idol. “He was very steely about his career — wanting to be famous,” said the X Factor creator. “This massive, massive desire about being, you know, very famous.”

To this day, Seacrest remains the host of Idol — which wrapped its 23rd season earlier this year. He also hosts Wheel of Fortune and Celebrity Wheel of Fortune as well as his long-running radio show, On Air with Ryan Seacrest and the annual Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve broadcast.

In a 2017 interview on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Seacrest described working with Cowell as “always entertaining” amid rumors he’d take over for Nick Cannon as the host of America’s Got Talent.

“I miss Simon,” said Seacrest at the time. “He’s a lot of fun to work with.”

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Seacrest opened up to PEOPLE about balancing his busy schedule in September. “I do sleep. Everyone asks me, do I sleep?” he said at the YES Scholars 25th Anniversary Gala in Los Angeles.

“It’s like, I go to bed immediately, and I get a good night’s sleep,” Seacrest continued. “But it’s pretty jam-packed in between the sleeps.”