(NewsNation) — Simon Cowell has spoken candidly about his experiences with cosmetic procedures, acknowledging both their appeal and their pitfalls.
Cowell admitted he has had cosmetic surgery in recent years and has openly discussed how, at times, he felt he went too far, particularly in the entertainment industry, where appearing youthful is seen as a benefit.
Beyond his openness about cosmetic procedures, Cowell has also been in the spotlight for his latest project: a six-part Netflix docuseries, “Simon Cowell: The Next Act,” which follows his efforts to put together a new boy band.
“There was a stage where I might have gone a bit too far. I saw a picture of me from ‘before’ the other day, and didn’t recognize it as me first of all,” he told The Sun in 2022.
Simon Cowell admits to Botox and facial fillers
The music producer behind One Direction told the Daily Mail earlier this month he has had cosmetic procedures done to his face, but not what people think.
“I have heard certain things about how I’ve had a facelift. I haven’t. I’ve had Botox. I’ve had lasers and this and that. I look at myself sometimes and go, ‘Oh God, I look s—.’”
LONDON, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 09: (L to R) Simon Cowell, Eric Cowell and Lauren Silverman attend a friends and family celebration for docuseries “Simon Cowell: The Next Act” hosted by Simon Cowell, Box to Box and Netflix at The Ham Yard Hotel on December 9, 2025 in London, England. The six-episode docuseries will launch December 10 on Netflix. (Photo by Dave Benett/Getty Images for Simon Cowell: The Next Act) 
FIE – In this Aug. 28, 2018, file photo, Simon Cowell arrives at the “America’s Got Talent” Season 13 Week 3 red carpet at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. Cowell broke his back Saturday, Aug. 8, 2020, while testing his new electric bicycle at his home in California. (Photo by Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP, File) 
FILE – One Direction’s Niall Horan, from left, Harry Styles , Simon Cowell, Louis Tomlinson and Liam Payne present the Music Industry Trust Award to Simon Cowell at the Music Industry Trusts Award (MITS) in aid of charities Nordon Robbins and Brit Trust at the Grosvenor House Hotel, in London, Nov. 2, 2015. (Dominic Lipinski/PA via AP)
“Sometimes I think I look OK. I’m more about, ‘Is it real?’ I guess that authenticity was my main thing.”
Simon Cowell says filler left son in ‘hysterics’
The “America’s Got Talent” judge says that he stopped getting cosmetic procedures after his then-8-year-old son was horrified by his appearance.
“Eric was in hysterics,” he told The Sun in 2022, adding that he looked like “something out of a horror film.”
“Enough was enough. There is no filler in my face at all now. Zero.”
Simon Cowell thought of freezing himself
Cowell told The New York Times in November he had considered cryonics, a practice where the human body of a person who just died is placed in a deep freeze, with the hope that in the future, thanks to advances in science, they would be revived.
“I did think for a while: We’re all going to eventually, unfortunately, die. What if then I’ll just freeze myself?”
His views changed when he became a dad in 2014, saying, “Then someone told me they chop your head off, and I think your brain’s frozen. So, then the idea of coming back as some kind of robot in 3,000 years time, it’s like: Forget it.”
Simon Cowell and the art of blood filtering
The former “American Idol” judge said he is in better health because he has improved his diet and exercises more, but admitted to aging “backwards” because of blood filtering.
“I go to this place, this wellness clinic, where they actually take your blood, they rinse it, they filter it and then they put it back into your body,” he told The Sun last month.
“You do all these tests, and they tell you your age, so I’ve actually aged backwards by eating better, more exercise, less stress, and certain supplements. My brain is still there, I still have the energy.”