Simon Cowell Adores His Son, But Won’t Leave Him His $600 Million Fortune

One of the toughest and most critical judges on talent competition reality shows is famed entertainment tycoon Simon Cowell. He is a record executive, television personality, and businessman who has also utilized his platform to help others by taking part in charitable endeavors over the years. Among Cowell’s most well-known productions are “The X Factor,” “Britain’s Got Talent,” “America’s Got Talent,” and “American Idol.”

Growing up, Cowell was constantly exposed to musical influences, so it was not surprising when he entered the entertainment sector with a particular emphasis on the music industry. Many bands and musicians, like One Direction and Little Mix, who all received their major breaks on his competition series, helped him start their careers. The music entrepreneur has contributed to both the production and commercial sides of several musical releases, as well as the financial side of his own entertainment company, Syco Entertainment.

Cowell spends time with his family, which consists of his longtime partner Lauren Silverman and their gorgeous son Eric, who reside together in their family home in Malibu, California, when he is not busy judging others on television or working with various musical artists. Although the happy pair is now viewed favorably, their relationship didn’t always go smoothly because Cowell was a close friend of the couple and Lauren was already married.

Cowell is a loving father to his son Eric these days, but that doesn’t mean he intends to leave him a share of his substantial wealth. Cowell has stated publicly that he does not intend to leave his money to Eric since he believes that children who receive a family inheritance do not work as hard to build their own riches.

Cowell was reared close by in Hertfordshire after being born on October 7, 1959, in Lambeth, London. His father was a real estate broker and senior executive in the music business, while his mother was a ballet dancer and socialite. With the help of his father’s contacts, Cowell was able to land his first position in the music business at EMI Records Ltd., where he worked in the mailroom. But when Cowell was denied a promotion, he decided to move on and try his luck somewhere else.

He displayed his entrepreneurial side at that time, founding E&S Music in the early 1980s before shuttering the business. He next established Fanfare Records, which ultimately failed, before launching S Records under BMG. When he convinced two actors who had sung “Unchained Melody” in a television show to record and release the song, that is where he really showed off his aptitude for detecting talent. Cowell would later acknowledge that the song, which they were known as Robson & Jerome, was what brought him his first million. Cowell also signed popular acts Westlife, Five, and the Teletubbies while working at BMG.

But his life wouldn’t change for the better until 2001, when Cowell and Simon Fuller convinced ITV to air “Pop Idol,” a reality music competition series. Cowell was introduced to the world for the first time when the series was picked up and he was added as a judge. By the time other nations had their own versions of the show, it was obvious they all had someone trying to imitate Cowell’s demeanor. His notoriety among critics and his catchphrase, “I don’t intend to be unpleasant, but… “, propelled him to prominence.

Cowell also participated in the first season of “American Idol” when it debuted in 2002, solidifying his reputation on both sides of the pond. The X Factor, which premiered in the UK in 2004, was his next big reality talent competition show. Cowell launched the show in the U.K. first before syndicating it to other countries, just like he did with the “Idol” series.

In 2005, he also founded a brand-new business called Syco. He continued to rule the music business through Syco, signing new performers including the operatic pop group Il Divo. He quit “American Idol” in 2010, but it wasn’t long before he made an appearance in 2011 on the American version of “The X Factor.” It became commonly known that “The X Factor” helped start the careers of celebrities like Leona Lewis, One Direction, and Little Mix, among others.

Never one to rest on his laurels, Cowell launched “Britain’s Got Talent,” a brand-new talent program that opened up the show’s auditions to a wider range of entertainment performers. The program was syndicated globally, similar to the “Idol” and “X Factor” franchises. With variants in more than 68 countries, the brand was actually recognized by Guinness World Records in 2014 as the most popular reality TV format in the world. At the time, Cowell stated:

“I’m thrilled that ‘Got Talent’ is a British production. We owe its success to a team of extraordinarily skilled producers from around the globe who have made it possible. And, of course, incredible talent.

It’s interesting to note that, despite being by far the most popular, these three big brands were not the only ones Cowell developed over the years.

However, Cowell has recently started to concentrate more on his family after dominating the entertainment industry for the previous two decades, especially following a serious injury he suffered in August 2020. Cowell was hurt horribly in a bike accident at his Malibu home fifteen months ago. He cracked his back three times after falling off an electric scooter, necessitating six hours of emergency surgery. Doctors claimed that Cowell was quite fortunate despite having undergone a lot of operations, fusions, and having a metal rod placed in his back.

He retired from his position as the head judge of “Walk the Line,” a new show format he is proposing, in November 2021. He is staying on as an executive producer, though. According to a close friend of Cowell, The Sun:

“This new endeavor has everyone at ITV and in Camp Cowell extremely enthusiastic. It has all the makings of a smash success. As you might expect, Simon, a workaholic, has been deeply involved from the beginning.

But because to the recent upheavals, lockdown, and his health, he has decided that this is not the right time to appear in front of the camera. He recently wrapped up a particularly hectic period of filming that required him to spend a lot of time away from home, so he also wants to spend more time with his family in the coming weeks.

Cowell formerly believed that parenting wasn’t for him, but since he and Lauren had Eric in 2014, Cowell’s opinion has changed. But first he and his partner had to get through the skepticism that surrounded them.

When the public learned that Cowell was not only expecting a child but also was committed to Lauren, the news of their relationship initially went viral in 2013. The fact that Lauren, one of Cowell’s closest friends at the time, was still married to Andrew Silverman made the pregnancy even more startling.

In 2004, while on vacation at Barbados’ Sandy Lane resort, Cowell reportedly first met Lauren and her now-ex-husband. The three instantly developed a connection that would last long after their trip was over. The Sun claims that as the years passed, Cowell entered a number of relationships only to quickly end them. In 2010, he even briefly got engaged to Mezhgan Hussainy, a “American Idol” makeup artist.

According to Good Housekeeping, Cowell and Lauren both felt unfulfilled in their relationships and covertly started an on-again, off-again affair. When the American socialite became pregnant with Cowell’s child in 2013, they were compelled to be open about their relationship. Given that Lauren was still legally married at the time, the story quickly turned into a huge controversy. According to the Daily Mail, her then-husband filed for a “at-fault” divorce shortly after the news broke, citing her adultery with Cowell as the only justification.