Simon Cowell is on a mission to find the next big boyband in his new Netflix documentary, which also shows an emotional side to the Britain’s Got Talent judge in his family life
08:00, 29 Nov 2025Updated 08:01, 29 Nov 2025
Simon Cowell and his fiancée Lauren open up about their relationship in Netflix’s new documentary
Simon Cowell is candidly honest about his relationship with fiancée Lauren in his Netflix documentary, revealing the secret to their 12-year romance. Simon Cowell: The Next Act follows the Britain’s Got Talent star as he searches for the next big boy band after discovering One Direction over 15 years ago.
While the six-part series follows Simon and his team through the process of forming the band, it gives an insight into Simon’s family life with Lauren and their son Eric, 11. “The best thing that ever, ever happened in my life was having my son, Eric,” Simon says in the series.
“It’s been so much fun because I’ve been able to live my childhood through Eric. One of the reasons I’ve decided to do this is I’d like to show him what his dad has done.”
Simon and partner Lauren with their son Eric(Image: Getty Images)
Eric is at the forefront of Simon’s mind even more so when he learns about the death of One Direction star Liam Payne. The singer died in October last year aged 31 in Buenos Aires after falling from a hotel balcony.
Breaking down on camera six days after his death, Simon says: “When I called his mum and dad and I was just thinking, ‘God, how do you cope with that?’ I remember thinking, ‘What a sweet, humble boy.’ He was just so normal and down-to-earth.”
He admits that he wasn’t sure whether he could continue with the show and discovering the next boy band after Liam’s death, saying: “If this was Eric, what would I do?
“That has really, really been on my mind. I know the pressure, the stress that comes with being in a band is gigantic. I’ve launched a lot of careers and I’ve learnt a lot and I’m always asking myself, ‘Am I doing the right thing?’”
Simon ultimately decides to continue with the process, having auditioned hundreds of boyband hopefuls to find the next big music sensation. Supporting him throughout the process is his partner Lauren, who takes on a starring role in the series.
Fans get to see a new side to Simon and Lauren’s relationship – from Lauren worrying about Simon’s work stress to navigating their blended family with Lauren’s son from her previous marriage.
Simon Cowell in The Next Act
“I do worry about burnout with him. I think the hardest thing is just trying to keep our family a unit,” says the entrepreneur, who also has a son Adam, 19, with her ex-husband Andrew Silverman. “I have my other son Adam who’s also in another country.”
In one tense scene, the couple argue over Simon asking how long he’ll need to be at his stepson’s graduation for, with the stress of the process starting to get to him. “You make me feel bad about the graduation – you’ve known about this for f**king five years,” a frustrated Lauren tells Simon. “Now you’re making me feel like you don’t want to go.”
While Simon protests that he does want to attend, Lauren asks for her microphone to be taken off as she tells him: “You’re really upsetting me because I do everything for you and that is really rude.”
Simon later tells the cameras: “Lauren, she’s very strong, she’s very emotional but I love that. The reason we have such a great relationship is because she always tells me the truth.”
In a later episode, Lauren formally changes her last name from Silverman to Cowell on Simon’s birthday. “I kept my ex-husband’s last name because of my son Adam,” she tells the cameras.
“Adam turned 18 and I felt like I didn’t want to have my ex-husband’s last name anymore. That just feels right for me for now – not just for now, forever.”
The series follows Simon and his team of producers and songwriters through the highs and lows of the auditioning process for his new band – with the music mogul admitting that it would “feel like the end of my career” if they couldn’t make it work.
“I am very, very worried that we’re going to fail,” he says when just 116 people initially apply to audition. But with the help of his family and his team of music professionals, Simon sets out on a candid journey to prove he can discover new talent.
“I want to find out whether I can still do it again,” he says. “I’m doing this because I think it’s harder today for any new artist than I’ve ever known to get a record deal. And I like the idea of giving some kids a shot.”
Simon Cowell: The Next Act arrives on Netflix on Wednesday 10 December.
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