Simon Cowell Net Worth: Judge Earned $45M In 'AGT,' $36M In 'American Idol'

Simon Cowell gained international fame for his scathing critical remarks as a judge on TV competition shows such as “American Idol” and “America’s Got Talent” while also raking in big bucks.

The British music executive and television producer has been one of the highest-paid celebrities in the world over the past 20 years. Currently, Cowell is estimated to be worth $600 million and makes around $95 million a year from various endeavors, according to Celebrity Net Worth.

In 2020, the 61-year-old landed a spot on Forbes' list of 100 highest-earning celebrities in the world with an income of $51 million.

A large portion of Cowell’s wealth came from his roles as judge and producer in the competition series “Britain’s Got Talent,” “America’s Got Talent” and “The X Factor.”

Before launching these shows, he first became a judge on the British TV reality show “Pop Idol” in 2001. He moved on to its spinoff show, “American Idol,” where he earned an estimated $36 million per season, CNN reported.

Cowell eventually left “American Idol” in 2010 while the show was still popular in order to focus on “The X-Factor,” which he created and produced under his company Syco Entertainment. The music competition aired its first season in 2004 and launched the careers of some of the biggest names in music, including One Direction and Little Mix.

Cowell also created and executive produced “America’s Got Talent” and “Britain’s Got Talent,” which are on their 16th and 15th season, respectively.

While sitting in the judge's chair on “The X Factor,” Cowell reportedly earned $45 million between 2017-2018. Due to this, the media personality is estimated to be earning around $45 million per season of “AGT,” according to The Cinemaholic.

Last year, Cowell stepped away from his record label Syco Music to focus on other projects. The label has signed many popular artists over the years, including Camillo Cabello, Olly Murs and Noah Cyrus.

His upcoming projects include a seven-book series with his son Eric called “Wishfits.” The first three books in the series will be released this year, while the remaining four are scheduled for 2022.

Meanwhile, Cowell has put some of his earnings into massive properties, including a Malibu beach house he purchased in 2017 for $24 million. The luxurious property is equipped with six bedrooms and seven bathrooms and is situated in a 1.63-acre piece of land that provides a beautiful view of the ocean, according to Hello magazine.

The music mogul also owns a $15.5 million Beverly Hills estate, a mansion in London's Holland Park and a three-bedroom apartment on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, according to Celebrity Net Worth.

This week, the U.K. channel ITV confirmed that “The X-Factor” has been canceled after 445 episodes and 17 years on the air, the New York Post reported.

“There are no current plans for the next series of ‘The X Factor’ at this stage,” ITV said.