LOS ANGELES — “American Idol” went into damage control yesterday after judge Simon Cowell rolled his eyes and raised his eyebrows as contestant Chris Richardson of Chesapeake, Va., followed his performance on Tuesday’s show with a comment about the 32 people killed on the Virginia Tech campus.

“My hearts and prayers go out to Virginia Tech. I have a lot of friends over there. … Be strong,” Mr. Richardson said on stage.

The camera caught Mr. Cowell’s expression and showed him tapping his hand once, in apparent impatience, on the table in front of him and fellow judges Randy Jackson and Paula Abdul. In contrast, Ms. Abdul could be seen nodding in approval.

The annoyed look from Mr. Cowell was drastically misinterpreted, Mr. Cowell and representatives from the Fox show said yesterday. A series producer denied that Mr. Cowell — who is known for his acerbic comments — had heard what Mr. Richardson said.

“I’ve never heard so much rubbish,” added Mr. Cowell, a British record company executive. Mr. Cowell said he supported Mr. Richardson’s comments.

“I did want to clear this one up because, you know, this is a very, very sensitive subject. The irony is that we did want to try and set the right tone on the show. And then something like this happens, and it just starts fanning the flames,” Mr. Cowell said. “And people need to understand, there are families involved. It’s not right.”

Mr. Richardson’s performance came about 40 minutes into the hour-long show. Mr. Cowell dismissed his effort as “insignificant” and the singer responded by defending himself and remarking on the shooting.

About 15 minutes later in the broadcast, Mr. Cowell finished his critique of contestant Blake Lewis and turned again to the shooting.

“I would like to say, on a more serious note, just to pick up on what Ryan said, on behalf of the three of us, that we would also like to offer our best wishes and support to the families of this tragedy, as well,” he said.

In a teleconference yesterday, series executive producer Ken Warwick said Mr. Cowell was unaware of how he came across until someone brought it to his attention after the show. Mr. Cowell was “mortified,” Mr. Warwick said.

“He would be the biggest fool on television if he did that. And he’s not a fool, believe me,” the producer said. Studio noise and the microphone setup made it difficult for Mr. Cowell to hear Mr. Richardson after his song, a routine problem, Mr. Warwick said.

Another executive producer, Nigel Lythgoe, also came to Mr. Cowell’s defense.

“This is a sad time for everyone, so it is especially disheartening that a quick camera cutaway could have been misinterpreted,” Mr. Lythgoe said in a statement yesterday.

Although the Internet was awash in discussion about Mr. Cowell, the network said it had received few complaints about him.