simon? insensitive? no way!

Simon Cowell says he wasn't being insensitive when he rolled his eyes shortly after contestant Chris Richardson offered sympathy toward the victims of the Virginia Tech shootings,

this article from "Access Hollywood" reports.

The controversy started in Tuesday's episode, when Simon criticized Chris, 22, for being too nasally in his performance. Chris, in response, told Simon that "nasally" is actually a form of singing. Then, perhaps recognizing he was out of line, Chris (who hails from Chesapeake, Va.) attempted to save himself by acknowledging the Virginia Tech victims.

Zoom into Simon, who was shown rolling his eyes while talking to Paula.

The scene has ignited all sorts of controversy, even though Simon later in Tuesday's show offered his own set of condolences to the victims. And on Ryan Seacrest's KIIS FM radio show today, he reportedly said, "The truth is that I had switched off at the point. I was talking to Paula and I was saying to Paula, 'What does he mean he sang nasally on purpose?' I didn't understand what he was saying. So, I hadn't even heard what he did. My eye rolling was what I was saying to Paula."

Simon was also critical of the public reaction to the incident, saying it made the show seem callous in spite of the fact host Seacrest acknowledged the Virginia Tech tragedy at the show's onset.

Thoughts?