Simon Cowell's on-screen persona is notoriously stern, sarcastic and grumpy, and there's a good chance we'll get another wave of that in his new Netflix competition series, The Next Act. But when he's away from the judging panels on shows like The X Factor and Britain's Got Talent, the TV personality is a completely different person.
When it comes to his family life, the 66-year-old is known for being an especially doting father, to his son Eric, and his stepson, Adam, though he remains more out of the spotlight. Scroll down to find out everything there is to know about Simon Cowell's two children…
Simon and Lauren have two children
Simon and his fiancée, Lauren Silverman, welcomed Eric on 14 February 2014, shielding their son from the cameras in his youth, though he has been seen increasingly frequently as he's got older. The 11-year-old even featured in one episode of Britain's Got Talent, where he gave an act a golden buzzer.
In another appearance on the show, he joked to his father's co-panellist Amanda Holden: "I am daddy's job now."
Through his relationship with Lauren, the 66-year-old has also become the stepfather to her son from her previous marriage to Andrew Silverman: Adam, who is either 19 or 20. Adam continues to remain out of the spotlight, likely for the sake of his family privacy, though he does occasionally appear in family photos that Simon shares to social media.
The special meaning behind his son's name
Eric's name actually has a very sentimental meaning, as Simon named him after his own father, Eric Selig Phillip Cowell. In 2019, he revealed that he initially had thought about giving his son his own name, Simon, but decided to go for Eric instead.
Simon clearly dotes over his young son, having previously admitted during an appearance on The Kelly Clarkson Show: "After I lost my parents, I genuinely felt I would never feel that kind of love for anyone ever again. I thought that was it, until I saw the scan of him for the first time.
© FilmMagic"From that moment I saw the scan, I was like 'That is it, I'm besotted.' Now I just cannot imagine my life without him. He's the most amazing thing that ever happened to me. I adore him."
In an exclusive interview with us in June 2024, he reflected on how his life has changed thanks to Eric: "Twenty years ago, I would have said I didn't think I was going to have kids because I thought I was too old.
"So when I got the news I was going to be a dad - and the first time I saw his scan - I was literally obsessed. Something changed and I looked at life in a completely different way. Every decision I make now I am thinking about Eric. Is it the right decision for him?"
Rare united family appearances
In the rare occasions in which the family-of-four are pictured as a complete unit, they appear to be quite the close-knit clan, and, despite their nine-year age gap, half-brothers Eric and Adam appear to be quite close.
© Getty ImagesWhen Simon was honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2018, the family posed together in all-white to support the music industry mogul.
© GettyThey also appeared as a full clan three years later at the Epsom Derby Festival horse racing event at Epsom Downs Racecourse in Surrey.
