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

Simon Cowell has always been known for his brutally honest critiques, but even he wasn’t prepared for one fan’s eyebrow-raising request—complete with a hefty price tag.

The America’s Got Talent judge got candid on the May 7 episode of the How to Fail podcast, sharing some of the more unusual encounters he’s had with fans over the years. 

“People used to ask me to be rude to them,” Cowell said with a laugh. 

“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.’”

So far, pretty standard. But things quickly took a wild turn. According to Cowell, the man then introduced his wife and asked whether the TV personality would “judge [them] having s*x.”

“I’m, like, ‘Are you winding me up?’ They went, ‘No, we’ll pay you,’” Cowell recalled. “[I said], ‘Well, how much?’ It was actually a lot of money. I thought, ‘Do I? No, I just can’t do it.’”

For those wondering just how much “a lot” really is: $150,000. 

That’s how much Cowell says the couple offered him to critique their most intimate moments. 

“It was just so bizarre,” he admitted.

But while Cowell might come across as the king of confidence on screen, he admitted he’s not exactly the life of the party in real life. 

“That’s something I really have enjoyed, though, weirdly. 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. 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, it seems, offered him a bit of a social buffer. 

“So, instantly, they know you and you’re talking about something I like, which is the shows or the artists,” Cowell said.

As for judging fans’ bedroom adventures? That’s still a hard no—even for $150K.