This story was updated on 05/03/22 to reflect a skin professional’s thoughts on Simon Cowell’s appearance.
Perhaps the only thing more shocking than an A-lister overdoing it with the Botox is when the aforementioned A-lister suddenly quits the Botox – as is the case with Simon Cowell, who recently revealed that he now has “zero” fillers and Botox in his face after admitting that he took things too far and became unrecognizable, and “like something out of a horror film.”
“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,” Cowell recently told The Sun. “There is no filler in my face at all now. Zero,” he added, before reiterating that he now sticks to more natural and less-invasive treatments. “I probably did have a little too much Botox a couple of years ago, because everyone on TV has it. Now I have facials, but nothing too extravagant at the moment.”
The 62-year-old America’s Got Talent judge first shocked fans with his post-Botox and post-fillers appearance at the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards in Santa Monica, California back on April 9th; but fans were even more confused and shocked when they saw him on the Britain’s Got Talent judging panel alongside fellow judges Alesha Dixon, Amanda Holden, and David Walliams on Saturday, April 16th.
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The BGT contestants seemed to take a back seat that Saturday night, as social media was mainly dominated with questions and remarks about Cowell’s confusing appearance. “Simon Cowell doesn’t even look like Simon Cowell anymore,” one Twitter user commented. “Simon Cowell looks different but I can’t put my finger on it, has he had some work done?” questioned another. Another fan asked: “Simon Cowell.. what have you done to your face?”
"What has actually happened to Simon Cowell’s face ? #BGT," one Twitter user asked, presumably while watching the latest episode of the talent show. "Why does Simon Cowell look weird?? Its like his eyes have gotten too small for his face #BGT," another wrote, while another quipped, "Did Simon Cowell forget to go into makeup? #BGT." And the jibes didn’t stop there…
"Anyone else find Simon Cowell's face strangley terrifying?" another user asked. "Simon Cowell’s new face looks like somebody has stretched a balloon over a bag of mixed veg," one user wrote. "Simon Cowell looks like a covid variant," yet another Twitter user joked, to which one user replied with, "This made me laugh," followed by the crying laughing emoji. Another user replied by saying: "Bro he looks like a cabbage patch kid."
The comments about Cowell's new appearance weren’t just limited to social media, as a plastic surgeon has now also weighed in. According to The Express, when looking at a picture of Cowell from 2006, Dr Sarah Tonks, one of London's leading aesthetic doctors, noted: "At 46 there [wasn't] a line on his forehead. Not one line. So he’s either had a very stress-free life or there’s some Botox in there – [and] he has definitely not had a stress-free life!" She then continued to analyze his face, and concluded that all the treatments he has done up 'til now have left him with a "sad appearance."
"After keeping up the Botox jabs, by 2012 his eyebrows have started drooping," Tonks continued. "Before he’d had the Botox in the forehead and left around the eyes. Now it looks like an attempt has been made to soften the wrinkles and lines around his eyes. The two things together here have given this really sad appearance."
Perhaps this is one of the many reasons why Cowell has decided to explore other treatments. In 2018, he said that he had tried the increasingly popular non-surgical face lift, which according to his past interview with The Sun, involves "bioplastic-infused thread." (It's the same technique Gwyneth Paltrow and Duchess of York Sarah Ferguson are said to be fans of, if we are to believe the rumors.) However, many skin specialists aren’t actually fans of the treatment, suggesting that it can cause skin scarring. "I find it causes the dermal layer of the skin to age irregularly," Chicago surgeon Michael Byun said, according to The Express. Could this also be what has contributed to Cowell's unrecognizable face?!
