How much is Simon Cowell worth?
| Net Worth: | $600 Million |
|---|---|
| Profession: | Professional TV Personality |
| Date of Birth: | October 7, 1959 |
| Country: | United Kingdom |
| Height: | 1.75 m |
About Simon Cowell
We are all most familiar with Simon Cowell as a judge on The X Factor and American Idol, but his background as a record executive is less well known. He turned his business acumen into a record label, credits for television production, and worldwide fame for being a jerk—who is typically correct.
The sarcastic music executive was originally introduced to America as a judge on American Idol, where he wielded his authority like a club, crushing the aspirations of aspiring singers everywhere while highlighting genuine potential in his opinion.
How To Make A Mogul
The son of a ballet dancer and socialite mother and an estate agent and music executive father, Cowell was raised in Hertfordshire, England. When he was 16, he quit high school and began doing odd jobs, but he frequently had disagreements with his employers and coworkers.
His father used his connections to secure him a position in the mailroom at EMI Music Publishing, where he worked his way up to assistant to an A&R executive and eventually talent scout. This was the first steady job he had ever had.
In the early 1980s, he quit his job to launch his own record label, E&S Music, with his boss Ellis Rich. A few years later, Simon rose through the ranks and joined Fanfare Records in 1985, where he experienced his first taste of success.
He advanced to partner status during his eight years at Fanfare and helped establish the career of Sinitta, a successful European pop singer. However, the label went out of business in 1989, leaving Simon in debt and had to return to living with his parents.
He returned to the music industry when he joined BMG the same year as an A&R consultant, where he worked his way back up the ladder by signing acts like the immensely popular Irish boy band Westlife.
The Upcoming Pop Star
Even though Cowell was already well-known in the music industry, the public didn’t meet the powerhouse until he collaborated with producer Simon Fuller to develop the program Pop Idol in 2001. Singers had the opportunity to try out for the series for a chance at a record deal with BMG. Ten finalists were selected after the initial round of open auditions, and they had to perform each week until being eliminated by the audience.
Part of the reason for the show’s immediate success was due to clips of terrible first-round auditions and Cowell’s unrestrained mockery of poor performers. Due to Simon’s “charm” and his ongoing arguments with co-judge Paula Abdul, it received an American spinoff in 2002 called American Idol, which aired on Fox and went on to become one of the most successful shows in US television history.
Keeping Up With Cowell
Cowell juggled a number of jobs in addition to his judging duties on American Idol. In 2002, he founded his own label and production firm, Syco, and produced such television programs as Britain’s Got Talent and The X Factor, which helped launch Leona Lewis’s career. Despite setting a record when Fox extended his Idol contract for $40 million annually in 2006, he revealed in January 2010 that he was leaving the program to launch his own talent competition The X Factor in America.
But when he brought five guys together to form One Direction in Britain, he would hit it rich and discover his true gold mine. The rest is history.
Cowell has a reputation for being harsh and ruthless to aspiring young pop singers, but he has long been a humanitarian, backing organizations like PETA and the Association of Children’s Hospices and creating a charity single in the wake of the Haiti earthquake. Additionally, he demonstrated his sense of humor by making fun of himself in movies and television programs like The Simpsons and Family Guy. Even the once-cold critic has softened up enough to consider dating. From 2002 through 2008, he dated television star Terri Seymour, and the two are still close. He announced his engagement to make-up artist Mezhgan Hussainy, whom he met on American Idol, in February 2010. Nevertheless, he partnered with Lauren Silverman in 2013, and the two of them have two kids.
“I haven’t done anything particularly harsh. Harshness to me is giving somebody false hopes and not following through. That’s harsh. Telling some guy or some girl who’ve got zero talent that they have zero talent actually is a kindness.”
