Fan interactions with celebrities can often be unpredictable, but Simon Cowell’s experiences certainly stand out.
Simon Cowell, a prominent figure in the music industry, gained a massive following through his well-known talent shows such as America’s Got Talent and American Idol. There’s also the memorable appearance in Far Far Away Idol on the Shrek 2 DVD extras.
Fame naturally brings about unusual encounters, and during his recent appearance on the How to Fail with Elizabeth Day podcast, Cowell shared a few noteworthy stories.
Known for his ‘mean judge’ persona, Cowell mentioned that as his fame grew, people would approach him on the street, asking him to be ‘rude to them’, a request he consistently declined.
He noted that this odd request was particularly common in the US, but even more striking was when he was asked to watch a couple during an intimate moment.
Recalling the incident, Cowell said: “I was in a restaurant and this guy comes up to me and he says ‘love your show, will you take a picture’.
“I’m like sure, he says this is my wife, I’m like nice to meet you [then he asks] ‘would you judge us having sex’.
“I’m like, are you winding me up, he says ‘no, we’ll pay you’.
“I ask how much and it actually was a lot of money. I thought… do I… no, I just can’t do it.”
While it might seem like a prank, if they were serious, it was quite a significant amount of money for such an unusual request.
The podcast host seemed familiar with the tale, having Simon confirm he was offered $150,000 to participate, joking that Simon had found his ‘moral scruple’.
Simon reflected on the odd nature of the encounter but acknowledged that he has appreciated some of the public interactions.
He went on: “That is something I have really enjoyed, weirdly, is that I am very shy, I can’t go to a pre-party, its my worst thing in the world, making small talk with people I don’t know.
“If we have a common subject I am pretty good, but years ago If I had to go to a party and talk to people I didn’t know it is torture.
“So once I was known by people it was kind of good because it broke the ice with people you meet, so instantly they know you, you are talking about something I like, which is you know the shows or the artists so it kind of helped me with my shyness.”