Watch: This May Be Simon Cowell's Very First Television Appearance
Simon Cowell has become one of “those people” on TV. You can’t believe what he says and yet you love him for saying it.
As a judge for American Idol, X Factor, America’s Got Talent and so many other similar shows, the London-born Cowell has developed a certain persona. Sardonic, brutally honest, hard to impress, and somehow casual-yet-serious about his work.
He has also cultivated a specific style. Shirt unbuttoned a few extra buttons, close-cut hair, unshaven. He often has the look of a man who was out for a day’s drive, saw a television studio, and decided to stop in to see what was going on.
Well, small portions of THAT Simon Cowell are on display in a recently unearthed video. The video is from a 1987 episode of the British television show Right to Reply.
This is a show that seems tailor-made for Simon. It was a program that invited viewers to come on and discuss television shows that had previously aired. Essentially it was a face-to-face internet comments section.
Purported to be Simon’s first-ever television appearance, it provides him an opportunity to showcase his now-legendary, biting commentary. And he delivers.
One of the things that have caught many off-guard is Simon’s voice. It’s youthful, certainly, but it also sounds to be a few ranges higher than the Simon we are used to hearing.
Simon, it appears, has been invited on the show to offer his comments on a recent television broadcast. It does not take him long to get going.
“We had just come in from going out and we turned on the TV, first of all, we thought the thing was a joke, it was so bad. As we were going through the show we realized that these people were actually being serious,” he shares in typical, aloof fashion, leaning back lazily in his chair.
He went on “…Instead of encouraging people to talk about sex or safe sex which is probably an important thing, it encouraged people to either fall asleep or turn off.” Ouch.
When the hosts of the program try and challenge him…well even back then that was not a good idea. It’s fun to see someone we think we know so well at a time when he was going through the period of life when people are still deciding who they are. Whether you’re a Cowell friend or foe, this is an insightful, amusing, and watch-worthy video.
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