Simon Cowell Reveals He Once Turned Down $150K to Judge a Couple Having Sex

Trae Patton/NBC via Getty

By Rhea Lark

staff writer

May 8, 2025

Simon Cowell has heard and seen it all but even he was caught off guard by this fan encounter.

The America's Got Talent and X Factor judge opened up about one of the most outrageous requests he's ever received from fans and let’s just say, it was not about singing.

Appearing on the May 7 episode of the How To Fail with Elizabeth Day podcast, the famously blunt TV personality recalled the moment a couple approached him in a restaurant with a truly X-rated proposition.

“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,’” Simon recalled. “Thank you very much. ‘Will you take a picture?’ Sure. ‘This is my wife.’ Nice to meet you.”

But then, things took an unexpected turn.

“‘Would you judge us having sex?’” Cowell recalled them asking. “I went, are you winding me up? And they said, ‘No, we’ll pay you.’”

And just how much were they offering to bring Simon's critique into the bedroom? A staggering $150,000.

“And I thought, do I? No, I just can’t do it,” Cowell laughed, calling the request “bizarre.”

Despite the shocking nature of the encounter, Simon admitted he doesn’t mind quirky moments with fans especially since fame has helped him overcome his natural shyness.

“I am very shy,” he confessed. “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.”

That “common subject” usually involves his TV work and pop culture persona, which has made him a recognizable and often delightfully blunt figure for decades.

“Instantly, they know you, you’re talking about something I like which is the shows, the artists, whatever so it kind of helped me with my shyness.”

Still, not all fan interactions are as NSFW as that one. Simon also recalled how, especially in his American Idol days, people would ask him to do what he does best: insult them.

“People used to ask me to be rude to them, particularly in America,” he said.

Whether it’s brutally honest critiques or eyebrow-raising fan requests, one thing’s for sure, Simon Cowell has never had a dull moment.