Simon Cowell made a special appearance during the opening episode of the last ever season of Saturday Night Takeaway on February 24. However, instead of focusing on the pranks that the hosts, Ant and Dec, put the music mogul through, fans of the show were left addressing Simon’s radically different features.

The 64-year-old, who became the duo’s first prank victim back in 2003, returned to the variety TV show’s 20th season to react to the pranks. 

The first one saw Simon interrupted on his morning cycle by a fake police officer who accused him of a series of made-up misdemeanors. Meanwhile, for the second joke, Ant & Dec pranked the music producer in front of a live audience at America’s Got Talent. 

After appearing on Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway, Simon Cowell’s facial transformation left many viewers concerned

Image credits: ITV

The presenting duo arranged a fake magician act and got Simon stuck inside a metal box locked with chains, with the masked performer pretending to swallow the keys, according to The Sun.

Fellow guest of the show and comedian Stephen Merchant couldn’t help but comment on Simon’s appearance. When asked if he had enjoyed watching the talent show judge get pranked, Stephen pretended to do an impression of Simon – saying: “I didn’t like it, I loved it.”

He then quipped: “It’s my Cowell impression, but it’s not very convincing because my face moved.”

Audience members gasped at Stephen’s joke, and social media users didn’t seem too impressed, with many sharing their thoughts on Simon’s facial transformation.

Someone wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter), “I was shocked to see Simon Cowell on TV last night. What on Earth has he done to his face?”

Another person penned, “Simon Cowell walking on stage on Ant & Dec tonight. He probably has 5% of what he was born with left.”

“Seriously how much work has Simon Cowell had done? He can’t move his face!!!!” a third individual said.

While the father-of-one denies having undergone a facelift operation, he has admitted to using Botox and fillers in the past.

“There was a phase where everyone was having their faces pumped full of this and the other,” he told The Sun. 

“I saw a picture of me from ‘before’ the other day and didn’t recognize it as me first of all.”

In April 2022, however, the music mogul announced his decision to move away from injectables when his son Eric, whom he shares with the American Lauren Silverman, was “in hysterics” at his face.

Below, we take a look at the English judge’s changing face over his career.

In 1994, the English talent show judge had a remarkably different appearance

Image credits: JMEnternational/Getty Images

Simon looked youthful in this picture taken at the FOX 2002 Summer TCA Tour during his early American Idol days

Image credits: Kevin Winter/ImageDirect

The TV personality looks more serious as he arrives at Fox’s “The X Factor” Season Finale Night 1 on December 19, 2012

Image credits: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

The mogul shows off his gleaming teeth during an interview with host Jay Leno on December 9, 2013

Image credits: Paul Drinkwater/NBCUniversal

Simon commands attention as he attends NBC’s “America’s Got Talent” Season 11 Live Show on August 2, 2016

Image credits: Mike Windle/Getty Images

The dad-of-one promotes #Childrenshospitalweek with a social media picture taken in 2020

Image credits: simoncowell

Simon discusses the X Factor during an interview with BBC The One Show in 2022

Image credits: bbctheone

The music producer congratulates One Direction for reaching 1 billion streams for “What Makes You Beautiful” in 2023

Image credits: simoncowell

Simon’s slimmed-down look is a result of a drastic change in his diet. In October 2017, he decided to ditch his unhealthy eating habits, which consisted of sausage rolls, hamburgers, and jam tarts, to convert to veganism. He has since lost 20 lbs (9 kilos).

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“Within 24 hours, I changed my diet, and I’ve not looked back since. You feel better, you look better,” he said.

“I cut out a lot of the stuff I shouldn’t have been eating, and that was primarily meat, dairy, wheat, sugar — those were the four main things.”

People commented on Simon’s changing appearance over the years

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