“Oh God, No”: Simon Cowell On His Son’s Dream of Becoming a Future Rock Star

As a parent, you want to encourage your child’s passions. It’s in your best interest that they’re happy, not only because they’re less likely to yell mean things at you through a closed bedroom door if they’re happy, but also because you love them and the unique, sparkly, special people they are, and the adult they’ll someday become.

Unless your child’s passion, as Simon Cowell’s 9-year-old son’s is, is playing the drums.

Cowell, who’s a judge on both America’s Got Talent and Britain’s Got Talent, told Entertainment Tonight Tuesday that son Eric also wanted to go into the music biz, a goal that the elder Cowell called “total torture.”

“He’s now decided he’s going to audition for Britain’s Got Talent,” Cowell said. “I think he wants to be in a rock band. He loves Green Day.”

“I mean, of all the things I’ve ever done, this will probably be the hardest, because he does play drums. [He’s] going to drum and sing! I went, ‘Oh God, no.’”

While a touch of nepotism could help Eric out, Simon also has a possible out to maintain both his eardrums and a modicum of work-life balance: You must be 18 years old to audition for Britain’s Got Talent, according to the application site. Younger auditioners can come if accompanied by a parent or guardian, but maybe Dad Cowell is…busy? That day? You have to admit, it’s a good way to buy time. 

Despite his dad urging him to stay behind the camera rather than in front of it, Simon said Eric is “really serious” about auditioning someday. And, should that eventuality come to pass, he said that he doesn’t think his dad’s role on the show will make Eric’s chances harder.

“I don’t think so, no,” he said. “I think that if you’ve got, like myself, I have a very open mind…Like I said tonight, everything is subjective, we all like different things and he’s got his own opinion on things and he’s got his own mind and I’ve always encouraged that with him, which is if you like something and I don’t like something, that’s life. So hopefully, he’ll be sitting there in 10 or less years time.”