Simon Cowell, the famously “mean judge” on “American Idol,” said plenty of things to contestants that made viewers cringe.

During early seasons of the reality series, which aired on the FOX network from 2002 to 2016, the blunt Brit often criticized singers for the way they looked, as well as the way they sounded. During Season 5, for example, Cowell often made cutting remarks about Alabama native Taylor Hicks, saying his stage moves were awkward or that Hicks’ dancing reminded the judge of someone’s “drunk uncle” at a wedding.

But Cowell was called to task and humbled by Mandisa, a Season 5 competitor with a standout voice, a strong faith and a gracious disposition. Mandisa, born Mandisa Lynn Hundley, died on April 18 at her home in Nashville at age 47. She passed away 18 years after her “Idol” run in 2006, where she finished in ninth place.

Her time on reality TV — and the visibility prompted by her on-screen encounters with Cowell — gave Mandisa a springboard that helped her to forge a successful career as a gospel and contemporary Christian artist. She recorded six albums, received several nominations for Dove Awards and earned a Grammy in 2014 for “Overcomer,” in the category of Best Contemporary Christian Music Album.

“American Idol,” which rebooted on ABC in 2018, plans to pay tribute to Mandisa on Monday’s episode, with a performance of “Shackles” by “Idol” alums Melinda Dolittle, Danny Gokey and Colton Dixon. And over the past few weeks, as fans have mourned Mandisa’s passing, thoughts have turned again to her time on “American Idol.”

READ: Mandisa American Idol tribute episode: How to watch

Mandisa appeared during one of the most popular seasons of the series, with TV ratings that averaged about 30 million viewers per episode. The competition was packed with talent that year, including winner Hicks, runner-up Katharine McPhee and fan favorites Chris Daughtry and Kellie Pickler.

Mandisa’s audition with the judges on “American Idol” — the series’ original troika of Cowell, Randy Jackson and Paula Abdul — also has been getting renewed attention recently. That’s partly because of her powerful rendition of “Fallin’” by Alicia Keys and partly because Cowell made some rude remarks about her weight after Mandisa left the audition room in Chicago.

After calling her audition “terrific” and agreeing with Jackson and Abdul that Mandisa was ready for the show’s Hollywood round, Cowell made a snarky face and said, “Could we have a bigger stage this year?” Abdul rolled her eyes and slapped Cowell, while Jackson laughed and said, “Oh, come on.” Then, when Abdul compared Mandisa to Frenchie Davis, a 2003 contestant on “Idol,” Cowell said, “Forget Frenchie; she’s like France.”

Mandisa discovered that Cowell had body-shamed her by watching her audition air on television. Instead of avoiding the issue, she bravely addressed the slams during an encounter with Cowell on a later episode. (You can watch that video here.)

“Simon, a lot of people want me to say a lot of things to you,” Mandisa told Cowell. “But this is what I want to say to you, is that, yes, you hurt me and I cried. And it was painful. It really was. But I want you to know that I’ve forgiven you, and that you don’t need someone to apologize in order to forgive somebody. And I figure if Jesus could die so that all of my wrongs could be forgiven, I can certainly extend that same grace to you.”

Cowell seemed ready for her rebuke, and was willing to be taken to task. He immediately said, “Mandisa, I’m humbled. Come here, give me a kiss. Give me a kiss. I’m just so appalling, aren’t I?” The two hugged and Cowell added, “But we like each other now?” Mandisa indicated that she agreed. “I do apologize,” Cowell said, smiling.

Series host Ryan Seacrest would later call Mandisa “the woman who did the impossible — she made Simon apologize on national television, and we loved it.” And in a video package that showcased her time on “Idol,” Mandisa said she and Cowell “had an understanding” because of it.

Years later, Mandisa told Entertainment Tonight that Cowell’s insensitive comments made her feel horrible at the time, but eventually had a silver lining.

“My journey with my weight has been publicized. The moment that Simon Cowell made fun of me on national television, the world was talking about my weight,” Mandisa said in a 2013 interview with ET. “While I hated it then, I look back now, having lost 100 pounds, and I’m so thankful that that happened. I’m thankful that Simon did that.”