Over the last three decades, there have been plenty of well-known personalities judging popular competition shows. But few are as famous as Simon Cowell — and given how he's starred on some wildly popular franchises, folks can likely see why!
Simon first gained notoriety in the United States in 2002, when he became a judge alongside Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson on American Idol. A judge for the show's first nine seasons, he eventually left in 2010 to serve as a panelist on America's Got Talent. Working alongside Sofia Vergara, Howie Mandel and Mel B, Simon will be on hand to see which incredible talent will win it all in its milestone season 20 beginning May 27, 2025 at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.
Given Simon's overall impact on reality television, people may be wondering about Simon Cowell's net worth in 2025. Well, we did some digging — and the answers we found may shock you.
What is Simon Cowell's net worth in 2025?
(It's important to note we are only looking at his earnings from projects in the United States, not in the U.K.)
According to CelebrityNetWorth.com, Simon Cowell's net worth is reportedly around $600 million. As for how he amassed a fortune as big as this, it comes from his work in both the music industry and his success as a TV personality.
How much money does Simon Cowell make as a judge on America's Got Talent?
Given how Simon is currently a judge on America's Got Talent, we'll start with how much he currently makes on the NBC series.
While Simon hasn't explicitly stated his salary for starring on AGT, multiple reports write he makes an estimated $45 million per season. What's more, it's seemingly similar to the amount of money he made while working on American Idol.
How much did Simon Cowell make from American Idol?
As for Simon's time on American Idol, a 2005 article from the New York Times reported the TV personality initial salary as a judge began at $8 million per season. As the show quickly developed a massive following, Fox (the network that originally aired the show) gave him a five-year renewal that had him reportedly earning $36 million per season of American Idol. Although reports in 2009 inferred Simon was offered a new three-year contract worth around $45 million per season, he chose to walk away for AGT instead.
So, how much did Simon make overall on American Idol? Given how he was on the show for nine seasons, it's likely he made around $204 million.
Does Simon Cowell make money from other projects?
Before Simon made a name for himself as a TV personality, he was well-known as a music executive. He initially got his start working for the record label EMI Music as a teenager, before leaving a year and a half after getting hired due to not being promoted. After working some time as an estate agent, he eventually made his way back to the music industry in 1980.
"My mum, I remember her face, she said, 'I've got some really exciting news for you,'" he shared on The Diary of a CEO With Steven Bartlett podcast about the experience in October 2024. "I said, 'What?' She said, 'I think there's a better job for you at EMI music publishing and you're gonna have an interview.'"
This led to a long-standing career in music, which also led him to create both Syco Music (which signed artists and groups like One Direction) and Syco TV. These ventures were later folded into a joint collaboration with Sony Music in 2019, now being called Syco Music Entertainment. Under this umbrella, Parade noted he got to buy out Sony's stake on the TV side to gain full control of the AGT franchise.
As the entertainment and news associate editor for Good Housekeeping, Adrianna (she/her) writes about everything TV, movies, music and pop culture. She graduated from Yeshiva University with a B.A. in journalism and a minor in business management. She covers shows like The Rookie, 9-1-1 and Grey's Anatomy, though when she’s not watching the latest show on Netflix, she’s taking martial arts or drinking way too much coffee.
