Undoubtedly one of the most famous media personalities outside the UK, Simon Cowell has earned a reputation as one of the most insightful judges in the history of talent shows, having appeared on some of the shows the most popular, such as American Idol, The X Factor and America’s Got Talent. Cowell also owns a show production company, Syco Entertainment, where he has collaborated with some of the UK’s most popular music groups.
The biography of Simon Cowell
Simon Phillip Cowell was born on October 7, 1959 in Lambeth, London, but grew up in Elstree, Hertfordshire. His mother Julie Brett ( née Josie Dalglish) was a ballet dancer and socialite and his father, Eric Selig Phillip Cowell was a real estate broker and developer and also a showbiz executive. He has a sister named Lindsay Elizabeth and a younger brother, Nicholas. He also has 3 half-brothers, John, Tony and Michael, as well as a half-sister named June.
Cowell at Radlett Preparatory School, Dover Independent College and Windsor Technical College where he earned a GCE in Sociology. As a young adult, he held down a few basic jobs before finally finding a job at EMI Music Publishing with the help of his father. He left the company in the early 1980s to start his own business. After failing in a first attempt, Cowell formed Fanfare Records, alongside Iain Burton. The company enjoyed fairly good success in the mid-1980s before collapsing in 1989.
Cowell later joined Bertelsmann Music Group (BMG) as a talent scout and manager and also established S Records as a subsidiary of the company. He took a major step in his career in 1995 when he hired the pop music duo Robson & Jerome. He was also instrumental in the band’s release of the single “Unchained Melody” and their debut album. Robson and Jerome, which were both the UK’s best-selling and album of the year respectively. He scored further success when he signed the music groups Five and Westlife, as well as the hit series Teletubbies.
Cowell’s first gig as a reality TV judge was at the Pop Idol music competition and after the show’s first season he signed top two contenders Will Young and Gareth Gates, both zero hits in the UK. In 2002, he was hired as a judge on American Idol, a role he held until 2010. He also launched the showbiz conglomerate ‘Syco’ under which he created the British music competition The X Factor in 2004 and has served as a judge on the show since its inception, except for seasons 8-10.
The label division of the Cowell Company, over the years Syco Music has featured some of Britain’s most popular artists including II Divo, Leona Lewis, One Direction, Camila Cabello, Fifth Harmony amongst others. He also launched The X Factor Australia and The X Factor USA in 2005 and 2011 respectively, although they did not have the same success as the UK version of the show. After mastering the talent contest spectacle, he also created America’s Got Talent and England’s Got Talent in 2006 and 2007 respectively and also launched the Spanish language singing competition La Banda in 2015 in collaboration with Ricky Martin.
Family, son (Eric)
Simon Cowell has never been married before although he is almost on the verge of taking this big step. He was previously engaged to makeup artist Mezhgan Hussainy, but they broke up before they could walk down the aisle. In 2012, he was also linked to American-born actress and model Carmen Electra.
Cowell’s most notable romantic involvement is with American-born socialite Lauren Silverman. The couple had a controversial start early in their relationship, however, they have been through the test of time since going public with their romance in 2013. The duo welcomed their first child on February 14, 2014 , a son named Eric Cowell. Eric has been stealing the show since he could talk, including in the UK’s Got Talent semi-final in 2018.
Is Simon Cowell gay?
From Cowell’s long relationship timeline, one can easily conclude that he’s straight. The British-born media mogul, known for his brutal candor, has also never hinted otherwise. However, he has been the subject of a media hoax that casts doubt on his true sexuality. At the July 2014 trial of former The X Factor UK judge Tulisa Contostavlos, it was alleged in one of the evidence that Cowell was gay. As expected, the ever-quick-witted reality TV judge quickly refuted these misrepresentations, putting the rumors to rest.
Net value
Simon Cowell’s long career in showbiz is known to be financially rewarding. The British-born media mogul earns an 8-figure annual salary for his gigs as a reality TV judge. He was ranked 64th on the 2018 Forbes List of Highest-Paid Celebrities after raking in $43.5 million during the reporting period. His net worth is estimated at a conservative estimate of $500m (£385m).
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