Simon Cowell Says Shows Were Edited To Make Him Seem Bad-Tempered

Simon Cowell has made a name for himself as a rather cranky judge on various talent and variety shows, but he says becoming a father has changed his perspective and how he treats the hopeful contestants he’s asked to judge. While Simon does feel he’s more mild mannered on the job, he also says shows like X Factor and American Idol have made him seem even more bitter than he really has been, when addressing contestants on the shows.

America’s Got Talent Judge Simon Cowell Says Fatherhood Has Changed Him

At one time, Simon Cowell was the most feared judge on shows like American Idol and, more recently, America’s Got Talent, but current contestants will find a milder, more courteous judge these days. Simon says that welcoming son Eric into the world with girlfriend Lauren Silverman has had a positive effect on him over the past two years and he’s no longer as bitter and rude as he may once have seemed.

“Lauren is great,” Cowell says. “And there’s no question when you actually have a kid, it does make you feel different because you understand how you would feel if it was your son up there.”

Cowell joins a panel of judges on America’s Got Talent that includes Heidi Klum, Mel B, and Howie Mandel. He says they each recognize that the contestants are there to fulfill their own dreams. They come on to America’s Got Talent to compete and share whatever talents they may possess; so, Simon says he understands that they’re all there of their own choosing. Cowell says the fact that everyone has a unique talent gives America’s Got Talent a much more positive and brighter feel than the previous shows on which he has served as judge.

Simon Says Other Talent Shows Edited His Comments

Prior to America’s Got Talent, Simon Cowell had a pretty bad reputation, established due to his brutally honest observations of the contestants and their talent, or lack thereof; but, Simon now says that it wasn’t all his fault. He cites shows like X Factor and American Idol in claiming that show producers edited his remarks to contestants, so that he would seem more heartless and inconsiderate.

“I think X Factor and Idol were edited so that I was always seen as this bad-tempered, miserable whatever – which of course I am at times, but I’m not like that the whole day!”

Simon credits America’s Got Talent and the show’s producers for maintaining a positive vibe and not using him as a way to generate media attention.

“But on AGT there are so many feel-good moments that they show those more than me ripping people to pieces because they are rubbish,” said Cowell.

At home, Cowell reveals that he’s not the only one with an interest in judging talent. He says his son Eric is already showing signs that he might have what it takes to join dad on the judge’s panel. Simon’s son is the spitting image of him, when he was a boy, and the America’s Got Talent judge says they’re alike in their mannerisms, too. Eric can get his dad wrapped around his finger at any moment, reveals Cowell.

“When it’s time to go to bed, the bottom lip comes out and it’s like, ‘Just one more minute, just one more minute, I want to watch Toy Story! I want to read a story!'”

While some parents might get tired of the routine and caution their children about whining, Simon says he’s too amused to get upset by it. Instead, he gets a good laugh out of his son’s bargaining.

“He’s very, very, very funny,” Simon Cowell says of his son. “He really cracks me up.”

[Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images]