Simon Cowell turned down $150K offer to judge this ‘bizarre’ act between couple

Simon Cowell has built a career on his brutally honest critiques, but even the famously sharp-tongued America’s Got Talent judge wasn’t prepared for one fan’s jaw-dropping request—one that came with a six-figure offer.

Appearing on the May 7 episode of the How to Fail podcast, Cowell shared some of the more bizarre fan interactions he’s experienced over the years. Among them was an unforgettable-and wildly inappropriate—encounter at a restaurant.

“People used to ask me to be rude to them,” Cowell said with a laugh, noting that many fans had odd expectations shaped by his TV persona. But one particular request pushed the limits far beyond the usual.

“Then, one time, I was in a restaurant and this guy comes up to me and he said, ‘I love your show. Would you take a picture?’ [I say], ‘Sure.’”

At first, the exchange seemed typical. But then, the fan introduced his wife and made an eyebrow-raising proposition.

“[He] asked whether [I] would ‘judge [them] having s*x,’” Cowell recalled. “I’m, like, ‘Are you winding me up?’ They went, ‘No, we’ll pay you,’” he added.

Curious, Cowell pressed for a number. The offer? An astonishing $150,000. “[I said], ‘Well, how much?’ It was actually a lot of money. I thought, ‘Do I? No, I just can’t do it.’”

Despite the substantial offer, Cowell declined, calling the situation “so bizarre.” While he’s made a name for himself critiquing singers, dancers, and performers on international television, judging someone’s private life was clearly a bridge too far—even for a man who once called a contestant’s performance “a horror film.”

Beyond the headline-making anecdote, Cowell offered a more personal glimpse into his life behind the scenes. Despite his bold on-screen persona, he admitted to being introverted and socially anxious.

“I am very shy, like, I can’t go to a pre-party. It’s my worst thing in the world, making small talk with someone I don’t know,” he said. “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.”

Fame, Cowell noted, has helped ease that discomfort by giving people a shared context when they meet him. “So, instantly, they know you and you’re talking about something I like, which is the shows or the artists,” he said.

But even with fame, fortune, and fans offering $150K for his opinion—some lines, it seems, Cowell won’t cross.