Why Is Simon Cowell So Famous? Inside the TV Star’s Success Story

You may know him from American Idol, but Simon Cowell did a lot to get to where he is today. And now that Simon is literally everywhere on TV (like the The X Factor and America’s Got Talent), fans are dying to know: why is he so famous? Scroll down to learn all about the TV star!

Why is Simon Cowell so famous?

Before even landing his star role on American Idol, Simon was very prominent in the music industry with roles as a record producer, consultant, and talent scout. In 2002, he joined Idol as a judge with Randy Jackson and Paula Abdul. He instantly became well known for his signature phrase, “I don’t mean to be rude, but…” He was notorious for being mean for lack of a better term by criticizing contestants on their looks, talents, and more. He was like the Mr. Wonderful of Shark Tank. And now, he continues to be a judge on X-Factor and AGT, which has made him even more prominent in the TV world.

Is Simon Cowell still married?

No — because he was never married! Simon has been dating his girlfriend, Lauren Silverman, since 2013, but the pair never tied the knot. Who knows, maybe this is their year?

How old is Simon Cowell’s son?

Simon’s son, Eric — whom he shares with Lauren — is three years old. The little boy was born on Feb. 14, 2014, and the TV star takes every chance he gets to gush about his little boy. “Eric’s old enough now to be my buddy. We talk to each other all the time. We’re friends and he’s fun to be around,” he once said. “He’s the world’s cutest little boy. I’ve got to tell you, he’s going to be my little right-hand man — anything he likes I like.” So cute!

Is Simon Cowell returning for the American Idol reboot?

He is not — and he has fair reasons why. “You can’t go back! We had the best of times when we did it,” he told Extra. “You can’t recreate what we had before, you know, it was me and it was Paula and Randy and Ryan [Seacrest] and it was an amazing chemistry there. When I hear all this talk about casting judges, I have to be honest with you, I think this is where they have it wrong it doesn’t matter about the judges, it is about the contestants and that is why everything has gone the wrong way right now. You know when we cast Idol, it was done so quickly but the only thing that mattered was, ‘Do you have the right people to help you find the stars?'”

How tall is Simon Cowell?

Simon is 5 feet and 9 inches tall! It’s always so hard to tell with TV stars, especially Simon since he’s always sitting down on all of his shows. Did you think he was shorter or taller?

How much is Simon Cowell worth?

A lot. According to Celebrity Net Worth, Simon is worth an estimated $550 million. Seriously?! What do you think he does with all of his money?