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Did Simon Cowell Turn Down a 6-Figure Paycheck to Watch a Couple Have Sex? He Says …
Simon Cowell has met his fair share of interesting people over the years as a judge on shows like American Idol and America’s Got Talent. However, some of his most bizarre interactions have been amongst fans outside of the workplace – and the U.K. native revealed that he was surprised with a six-figure offer to judge a couple having sex. Life & Style reveals if Simon took the money or declined the NSFW offer.
Simon Cowell Was Offered Money to Judge a Couple Having Sex
Simon shared his craziest fan interactions during a May 7, 2025, appearance on the “How To Fail With Elizabeth Day” podcast, and highlighted one that he will never forget.
“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,” the X Factor alum recalled to Elizabeth. “Thank you very much. ‘Will you take a picture?’ Sure. ‘This is my wife.’ Nice to meet you.”
After they exchanged introductions, Simon shared that the couple asked, “‘Would you judge us having sex?’”
“I went, are you winding me up?” Simon continued. “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 noted, “It was $150,000.”
Simon Cowell Shares Feelings About Being Asked Judge the NSFW Task
Although the couple’s request was “bizarre,” Simon found it entertaining, despite turning down the offer.
“I am very shy,” Simon admitted during the interview. “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, but years ago, if I had to go to a party … and had to talk to people, it [was] torture.”
How Much Money Simon Cowell Makes As a Celebrity Judge
Simon was one of the founding American Idol judges from the beginning of the series between 2002 and 2010. He left the singing competition to help produce and judge the American version of X Factor.
During the height of his career on American Idol, Simon was racking in a reported $33 million per season, according to Celebrity Net Worth.
Simon is reported to be worth an estimated $600 million, a claim he disputed. The Britain’s Got Talent judge said his earnings are nowhere near what is perceived.
“I’ve definitely got enough. I don’t need any more. I don’t yearn for what I thought I wanted a few years ago because when I was a kid I had no idea of anything like yachts and the Caribbean or private planes,” Simon explained during his May 2025 interview on the “How To Fail With Elizabeth Day” podcast. “So, when the first time — I guess in my early forties, it must have been — I came across this world and saw it and I’m like, ‘What? That is your own boat?’ It was like a cruise ship.”
Later in the episode, he confirmed that his net worth is “not even close” to $600 million.
“I’ve made a bit of money, yes, but not that much, no,” he shared.
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