Simon Cowell is a television personality, media mogul, and record producer. He’s known for being a judge on talent shows such as American Idol, X-Factor and Britain’s Got Talent. He is known for his brutally honest, sometimes insulting criticism. Some of his iconic lines are: “Do you have a lawyer? Get one, and sue your singing coach”, “There’s as much chance of you being a rock star or a pop star, as me flying to the moon for breakfast tomorrow morning”, “Individually, you’re weak. As a group, you’re even worse. There’s absolutely zero chance of you guys ever having a successful career.” This earned him notoriety, but also a very large amount of money. So how rich is Simon Cowell?
Simon Cowell Net Worth – $550 Million
How Did Simon Cowell make his money & wealth
Simon Cowell was born on October 7, 1959 in London. His mother was a ballet dancer and socialite, and his father was an estate agent developer and music industry executive. His father got him a mailroom job at a large label called EMI Music Publishing.
In 1980, he left EMI to form E&S Music, but the label failed. He then launched Fanfare Records, which had a few hit songs, but went under in 1989, which almost also bankrupted Simon. He went on to work a variety of jobs in the industry including being a talent scout, a consultant and even a record producer. This got him enough recognition in the music industry that when Pop Idol started, he was cast as a judge.
Pop Idol promised a BMG record deal to the winner. It got 10,000 auditions. Cowell became known as a harsh and honest judge, who sometimes even made the contestants cry. This made the show more interesting and helped with its rise in popularity.
As any successful show, Pop Idol got an American remake. American Idol debuted in 2002, with Cowell returning as a judge, alongside singer Paula Abdul and producer Randy Jackson. The show got great ratings, beating all other prime-time programs in the United States.
In 2002, Cowell launched a new company SYCOtv, which created the television shows Got Talent and X-Factor. In 2006 Cowell Brought Got Talent to America, and in 2011 he did the same thing with X-Factor. Both shows were huge successes.
Cowell has been a judge on Britain’s Got Talent since 2007. He was also a judge on X-Factor UK from 2004 to 2010. He took a four-year break before returning in 2014. He was also part of American Idol’s judge panel from 2002 to 2010, and the X-Factor USA’s panel from 2011 to 2013. He also served as an executive producer on America’s Got Talent since the beginning. In the 2016 season, he’ll join the show as a judge, replacing Howard Stern
Simon Cowell Personal Life & FAQ’s:
Is Simon Cowell married?
Simon Cowell is not married, though he was engaged to make-up artist Mezhgan Hussainy from 2010 until 2011. In 2013 he started dating Lauren Silverman. Their child Eric was born on February 14, 2014.
Simon Cowell Salary & Annual Earnings in 2016
Simon makes about $90 million per year. Simon has come a long way. In 2002, he was getting paid only $100,000 per season for American Idol. Seven years later, he was getting paid $100 million per season.
Simon Cowell House
Simon moves back and forth between the US and the UK. When he’s in the UK he lives in his West London 
ansion was built from 2004 to 2009. Simon was involved in every aspect of the design process. It has 6 bedrooms, 6 bathrooms, a high-tech media theater, a tanning salon, a state-of-the-art gym, a luxury spa with steam rooms and massage tables, a solarium, a lap pool and an exterior pool cabana with a retractable roof. The mansion is protected by a $1 million security system.
Simon Cowell Car
Simon Cowell has spent over $10 million on his cars. His most memorable purchase was a Bugatti Veyron he bought in 2010 for $1.3 million. He only drove it twice until he sold it in 2014 for $800 thousand. His collection includes the following cars: Tesla S, Jaguar E-type, Bentley Azure, Ford Bronco SUV, Po
Fun fact: In 2015, he paid £537,000, to pre-order TF-X a 200mph flying car, which is basically a small plane with retractable wings that can also be used on land. It doesn’t even come out until 2023, but Simon wanted to make sure he gets one.
Charity work and philanthropy
Simon Cowell is one of the biggest charity donors in the UK. In 2014 alone, he donated $2.1 million to charity. Simon supports the following charities: ARK, Battersea Dogs & Cats Home, Centre For Environmental Education, Charity Projects Entertainment Fund, Elton John AIDS Foundation, Help for Heroes, Kids Wish Network, Linda Blair WorldHeart Foundation, Norwood, PETA, RSPCA, Save the Children, Sport Relief, Together for Short Lives, and World Animal Protection.
