( CNN ) If you thought Simon Cowell was mean , wait till you hear what this judging duo had to say on New Zealand 's spinoff of the popular singing contest `` X Factor '' on Sunday . Married couple Natalia Kills and Willy Moon , who both were on the judging panel of the show , slammed the 25-year-old contestant Joe Irvine , after his rendition of Michael Buble 's `` Cry Me A River . '' But it was n't how he sang that ticked them off . `` I 'm disgusted at how much you 've copied my husband , from the hair to the suit , '' said Kills , referring to Irvine 's new makeover for the show . `` You 're a laughing stock . It 's cheesy , it 's disgusting ... you make me sick , '' the British singer added . Her husband Willy Moon called him `` creepy '' and likened him to Norman Bates , the killer in the horror film , `` Psycho . '' Mediaworks , the owner of the New Zealand television channel TV3 , which airs the show , has decided to sack the duo for their scathing remarks . `` Last night on X Factor both Kills and Moon made comments that were completely unacceptable , '' said Mark Weldon , Mediaworks chief executive . `` We no longer have confidence that Kills and Moon are the right people to perform the role of X Factor judges and they will leave the show , effective immediately , '' Weldon said in a statement on TV3 's website . The couple 's comments sparked outrage on Twitter . In just a day , 77,534 people signed a petition to kick the duo off the show . TV3 was quick to respond , saying that it does not condone `` bullying . '' Irvine , who handled the comments calmly on stage , tweeted a smiling photo and thanked his supporters . Kills and Moon did not directly respond to the accusations , but Kills tweeted , thanking her fans for understanding her `` passionate opinions . '' The native singer , Moon , who rose to fame after his song was featured in an Apple ad , was lambasted in the media earlier this week . He reportedly used abusive language at a woman in a bakery in Auckland over a parking space brawl . TV3 apologized on his behalf , saying he regretted the incident and his language , but Moon has distanced himself from the statement on social media . Thankfully , it is n't up to the judges whether or not Irvine makes it to the next round -- voters will decide his fate on Monday night 's results show where fellow judges Stan Walker and All Saints singer Melanie Blatt will continue to appear . Two new judges will be announced before next week 's show . CNN 's Tim Hume contributed to this report .
Singing contest judges Natalia Kills and Willy Moon have been sacked for their scathing remarks to a contestant . The married couple called the singer `` disgusting '' and `` creepy '' on live television in New Zealand . Over 77,000 people signed a petition to kick the judging duo off the show .