Education Secretary Michael Gove has blasted X Factor boss Simon Cowell as "irresponsible and stupid" for suggesting that young people do not need to bother with education.
The Cabinet minister told the TV mogul he should "encourage" teenagers at school, rather than "rubbish" learning.
Mr Gove made the comments after the talent show boss advised that "the secret is to be useless at school and then get lucky".
Cowell admitted that he did not work hard at school, leaving at 16 without any qualifications.
"I was useless. The secret is to be useless at school and then get lucky," he told US radio station z100.
The remark appeared to be light-hearted and an agent at Cowell's production company, Syco, said: "This was quite clearly a joke made in a humorous radio interview and has been taken completely out of context."
But Mr Gove warned that "only a fraction of kids get lucky".
"This is an irresponsible and stupid thing to say," he told Mail Online.
"Teachers strive every day to ensure children understand the importance of learning, hard work and discipline. Simon Cowell's comments undermine their efforts.
"The truth is that only a tiny fraction of people get lucky. For everybody else, it's all about hard work and that starts with hard work at school. Celebrities like Mr Cowell should encourage education, not rubbish it."
It is not the first time a politician has criticised Mr Cowell and his reality show.
