LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Did Simon Cowell know David Cook would win? Or was he - gasp! - just being nice?

Right before host Ryan Seacrest announced Cook as the next "American Idol," Cowell issued an uncharacteristic apology to the sincere 25-year-old rocker for skewering him during Tuesday's final performance show. Cowell went so far as to say that the remarks he made the night before to the future "Idol" winner were "verging on disrespectful."

"When I went back home and watched it, it wasn't quite so clear cut as we called it," he said to the final two.

Cowell congratulated and praised both Cook and runner-up David Archuleta, the smiley 17-year-old crooner from Murray, Utah. Cowell even revealed that "for the first time ever, I don't really care who wins."

Such comments came as a surprise to many after Cowell heaped huge amounts of praise on Archuleta and said he won the competition by a "knockout."

The 48-year-old acerbic judge was very wrong: Cook overcame Archuleta with 12 million more votes.

"I didn't really know if the apology was warranted," Cook later told reporters backstage. "I thought what he said was an opinion and nothing more. At no point did I feel disrespected. Yeah, I'm appreciative of the fact that he decided to apologize. An apology from Simon is a pretty rare gem."

It's not the first time Cowell has been nice during the show's seventh season. The resident grinch gave the thumbs-up during the audition round to a young mother who had a new lease on life after a terrible car accident, but no real shot at cracking the finalists' ranks. Then again, any act of Cowell kindness would seem significant following the outrage he provoked during sixth season tryouts.

"I'm glad he apologized to Cook because I don't think anyone realizes how much work we put into this, and how it's not like we just learn the song the day before," Archuleta said in the press room. "We just love to be able to share what we love to do with everyone."