What Simon Cowell Has Said About His Sexuality

Simon Cowell, Tom Cruise, and George Clooney have much more in common than just being household names. The three are straight stars who keep getting labeled as gay. They've all been subject to speculation and rumors about their sexuality despite all having been, or still being, married or engaged to women. For the main part, the trio has also ignored all of the baseless gossip, preferring to either laugh it off or pay no attention to it. But Cowell has, on occasion, responded to the tittle-tattle.

The British music producer and TV host we all love to hate rose to fame as a caustic and sarcastic judge on "Pop Idol" and "American Idol." Throughout his adult life, he's dated a slew of famous beauties, including a couple of glamor models, pop star Sinitta, and reporter Terri Seymour. However, it was true love forever when Cowell met his now-fiancée, Lauren Silverman, in 2004.

Still, The Independent notes that speculation regarding Cowell's sexuality shifted into high gear in 2014 when he unwittingly found himself at the center of a messy court trial. N-Dubz star Tulisa Contostavlos, who was a judge on Cowell's show, "The X Factor," was facing drug charges. During the proceedings, a tape was played of Contostavlos' personal assistant, Gareth Varey, and an undercover Sun on Sunday reporter discussing Cowell's sexuality. Varey purportedly confirmed Cowell is gay, even claiming he allegedly knew men whom he'd been involved with.

Rumors about Simon Cowell's sexuality have been rife ever since he popped onto TV in his trademark V-neck white T-shirt and high-waisted jeans. Even though he usually pays no attention to the speculation, Cowell did feel the need to respond to false reports spawned by Tulisa Contostavlos' 2014 trial. Cowell's attorneys released a statement shooting down the claims made by Contostavlos' PA, Gareth Varey, during a secret sting operation by the now-defunct Sun on Sunday. Per The Independent, Cowell's legal team said that Varney's allegations had led to "widespread media coverage of untrue claims regarding his private life." They continued, "In 2014, the question of whether someone is or is not gay is antiquated. (As it happens, he isn't, though if he were, he would simply have said so)." 

Cowell's attorneys said they felt obliged to respond because Cowell "is renowned for his honesty and candidness," and Varey's comments made it appear as if Cowell had "not been truthful in the public arena." Per the BBC, Varey later apologized for the comments he made to Mazher Mahmood, the infamous tabloid sting operator, the "Fake Sheik," who was digging to get dirt on Contostavlos. Varey said he was "clearly very drunk" and had no clue why he'd said Cowell was gay. "This is not true. I do not know why I said it, but assume it is because I was so drunk and felt that I was giving Mahmood the type of information he was seeking," he said.

The music industry isn't renowned for hiding people's sexuality — aside from that of boy band members and teen heartthrobs, of which, let's face it, Simon Cowell is neither — so there'd really be no reason for him to hide in the closet. Still, the gossip persists. But Simon just turns the other cheek and focuses on his happy home life instead.

Simon proposed to Lauren Silverman on Christmas Eve 2021 in Barbados, where they first met. Simon and Silverman also share a son, Eric Cowell. Speculation was rife about when their big day would be, and the couple continues to keeps everyone guessing. "I like to make everything spontaneous, and doing that will make it a lot more fun," Simon told The Sun in 2022. "I don't think we'll be getting married in Las Vegas, but whatever we do will definitely be fun."

Two years later, former partner Sinitta joked that the happy couple was already married, or at least she treated them that way anyway. Meanwhile, according to "Today," becoming a dad has made Simon a "big softie" (tell that to "AGT" contestants!). He admitted to initially struggling with a baby, as he'd only ever dealt with puppies. But everything just clicked with Eric one day. Simon even admitted to grooming his son to take over the biz one day, while the prolific producer was also passing on his sense of dress and lavish lifestyle. 

Prior to Tulisa Contostavlos' drug trial, Simon Cowell addressed longstanding rumors swirling about his sexuality during a 2013 interview with the Radio Times (via E! News). The legendary TV judge stressed that he wasn't offended by the speculation as he didn't see anything wrong with being gay. As Cowell pointed out, "If I was living 200 years ago in a coal mine, maybe, but I work in possibly the gayest industry in the world." He added that being gay wouldn't have impacted his career or personal life anyway, considering how many of his friends and peers are part of the LGBTQ+ community. Thus, the idea of keeping it a secret never really made sense. 

Later, the entertainment mogul even poked fun at the speculation during a conversation with ex-girlfriend Terri Seymour. When asked whether he feared going bankrupt, Cowell quipped, "I said to someone the other day that I wish I had been born gay" (via Huffpost), noting that he wouldn't have spent so much money on women that way. In 2020, after host Phillip Schofield came out as gay following his divorce from his wife of almost 30 years, Cowell again reflected on the public's obsession with labeling his sexuality. 

"20 years ago I would be doing interviews and the first question would be, 'Are you gay?' [...] It used to crack me up that it was seen as something bad you would have to hide," he quipped during an appearance on Dan Wootton's talkRADIO show, per The Sun. While sharing his support for Schofield, the prolific producer acknowledged how much times have changed. "Probably 50 percent of the people I have worked with are gay, have been gay, whatever," he said. "It's not even a conscious thought anymore."