“I’m going to find a new boy band” – Simon says he misses developing new bands in Simon Cowell: The Next Act

Simon Cowell: The Next Act premiered on Netflix on December 10, 2025.

The documentary followed Simon’s decision to return to the work he started with: signing artists and developing bands.

“I’m going to find a new boy band,” Simon said, he missed working with them in Simon Cowell: The Next Act.

The series opened with him preparing for filming, getting his hair and makeup done, and explaining how people knew him. He said,

“I’m probably best known for some of the TV shows. You know, Idol, X-Factor, and America’s Got Talent. As much as I loved my job on TV, I missed where I started, signing artists and mainly working with bands.”

In the first episode, Simon talked about how much he missed the boy band era. He explained how boy bands once dominated every decade from the 60s and how global music changed with the rise of K-pop. He said,

“In the last few years, K-Pop has taken over the world. So what’s next? There is a massive opportunity. I’m gonna find a new boy band.”

His reflections set the framework for the series as he began searching for new talent.

Simon returned to his roots in Simon Cowell: The Next Act

The first section of the documentary showed Simon reconnecting with the music work that shaped his early career. While preparing for filming, he reflected on the path that led him to global TV success and how it differed from his earlier years working with artists and groups. The show used his own words to guide the story. He said,

“As much as I love my job on TV, I miss where I started,” making clear that music development remained important to him. Another key moment came when he said,

“There was a time when boy bands ruled the world,” as he looked back at decades of chart success and the shifts that followed.

The episode followed his process as he began auditions and discussed the changing music landscape. He noted how K-Pop’s rise reshaped global taste and created new opportunities for different styles of groups.

Cameras captured his early production days as he planned the search for a new group. His question, “So what’s next?” framed his motivation for returning to band development. This section created the foundation for the rest of the documentary, presenting his goal to rebuild a central part of his past work.

Building the next big group and opening his private world 

In an exclusive interview with Extra on December 9, 2025, Simon discussed the idea behind creating Simon Cowell: The Next Act and how the project developed. He explained that the concept started about three years earlier when he realized he had not signed a band in a long time.

He said, “I hadn’t signed a band for years and probably the best times I ever had in my life were working with bands.”

He described how this led him to consider returning to his earlier methods, adding,

“Why don’t we see if we can do what I used to do, which is audition people and hope we find some great people, and what if we filmed the whole thing?”

Simon also spoke about how the documentary affected his home life. He said he told his fiancée Lauren while they were in Barbados, “I’m going to put together a boy band,” and she reacted with surprise when she learned a film crew would be filming around them. Over time, she became part of the process as filming continued.

Their son Eric appeared as well, showing interest in music. Simon said, “He loves music. He’s got great taste in music.” He reflected on the experience, calling the project one of the hardest things he had done but meaningful because it gave new talent a chance.
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