Simon Cowell rose from obscurity to prominence as an employee at a record label.

The British TV producer and celebrity judge has amassed a considerable fortune over the course of his career. Simon found a new audience through the talent contests because to his refreshingly honest performances.

Perhaps that’s why he’s been able to amass such a massive fortune. New revelations detail how much Simon Cowell was paid per season of American Idol, revealing that he has been paid tens of millions of dollars over the years. After leaving school, Simon Cowell found success in the music industry on his own. His father’s connections at EMI helped him land a job there as an assistant responsible for discovering and nurturing fresh musical talent. Following his rise through the ranks at EMI, he launched not one but two unsuccessful record labels.

Moving back in with his parents was enough to break most people, but he persevered. For Simon Cowell, though, it was a “relief”.

“Everything went – my house, my Porsche, all the things I thought were important,” he explained. “I had nice food every night at home. I was quite happy, really.”

Cowell rebooted and established S Records, signing boy acts like 5ive and Westlife. In 1995, he signed Jerome, who had success with his cover of Unchained Melody by the Righteous Brothers. That ended up becoming a really successful single. But, Simon’s own path to stardom was paved by his participation in talent shows.

“My talent is for creating things the public will like,” he explained. “I’m interested only in making money, for myself, and the people I work for. I mean, that’s absolutely the only criterion I attach.”