ArchivesDuring Idol Gives Back, the only celebrity who said they were donating money to the cause was guest host Ellen DeGeneres, who pledged $100,000. Beyond that, we were only told about News Corp.’s cheap $5 million contribution; other sponsors haven’t revealed their donations, nor did American Idol’s cast say they were giving any money.
But Simon Cowell tells Access Hollywood that he contributed. “I did make a very significant, very significant six-figure sum. But I didn’t feel comfortable saying that on the show,” he said. Good call: telling a tabloid TV show instead and repeating the phrase “very significant” makes you seem a lot more humble.
Cowell also says the charity show “changed everyone who was involved … You can’t see what we saw [in Africa] and not be changed by that. But we were very very careful on the show that we weren’t going to preach to people or get political, because that was never our intention. … Our intention was, make people aware and then they make their own decisions.”
He added that they will do another Idol Gives Back—but only if viewers want it. “When we’re given an opportunity, I think once a season we would try our best to do something like that, yes. Providing that what’s our viewers and audience want though. I mean that really is our consideration,” he said.
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