Simon Cowell reveals just how easy he could’ve come up on $150K but backed out—for an understandable reason.
The former American Idol judge detailed his most bizarre fan interactions during a recent episode of How To Fail with Elizabeth Day.
He recalled,
“One time—this is a true story—I was in a restaurant and this guy comes up to me and he said, ‘I love your show.’ Thank you very much. ‘Will you take a picture?’ Sure. ‘This is my wife.’ Nice to meet you.” After small talk, the X Factor judge said he was then hit with a wild question: “Would you judge us having sex?” the couple asked.
He initially assumed it was a joke but quickly realized they were dead serious.
“I went, are you winding me up?” Simon said of the couple. “And they said, ‘No, we’ll pay you.’ Well how much? And it was actually a lot of money. And I thought, do I? No, I just can’t do it.” He went on to note that they were offering “$150,000.”
His reasoning for backing out—well, aside from it being straight-up “bazaar”—Simon explained, “I am very shy. I can’t go to a pre-party. It’s the worst thing in the world making small talk with people I don’t know. If we have a common subject, I’m pretty good.”
Of course, a more common request from fans calls back to Simon’s earliest days as a reality talent show judge. He recalled, “People used to ask me to be rude to them, particularly in America.”
Simon Cowell and His Judging Legacy—But This Offer Crossed the Line
Simon been judging all types of performances for decades—some good, some straight-up clownish. And through it all, he built a rep for telling it like it is. From American Idol to The X Factor to Britain’s Got Talent, Simon’s sharp tongue became the standard. But this one right here? This was a new level.
And even after seeing folks juggle knives, dance with snakes, and try to yodel their way to fame, Simon still had to draw the line somewhere. Judging a couple mid-stroke? Nah, that ain’t it.
Still, the fact that the man even asked “Well, how much?” before walking away just adds a little spice to the story. Simon knew better—but the offer was tempting.
