Inside Simon Cowell: The Next Act — How Payne's passing reshaped the Netflix series

Simon Cowell: The Next Act began as a music-industry comeback story. The Netflix docuseries set out to follow Cowell’s search for a brand-new boy band while reflecting on decades of his career shaping global pop acts.

But midway through production, the death of One Direction star Liam Payne — a singer Cowell helped discover and guide to worldwide fame — altered everything.

The tragedy reframed the tone, the mission, and the emotional center of the series. What was once a drive toward launching the next global sensation became a sobering exploration of responsibility and grief behind the scenes of fame.

Simon Cowell: The Next Act faces its most difficult chapter

Filming on Simon Cowell: The Next Act was underway in October 2024 when Cowell learned that Payne had died at age 31 after falling from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires.

Payne was part of One Direction, the group assembled on The X Factor in 2010 under Cowell’s mentorship. In the docuseries, Cowell is shown devastated, sitting silently with his head in his hands, struggling to process the loss. 

“It’s hard, you know?” he said. “When I call his mum and dad and just thinking, ‘God, how do you cope with that?’”

Cowell described Payne as “a sweet, humble boy” who “always had a sparkle in his eye.” He added, 

“Everyone adored him. You just don’t know how you feel about someone until you lose them, you know? And whoa. We’re just going to miss him – genuinely miss him.”

The Next Act follows the days immediately after Cowell received the news. Cameras capture him stepping away from production, leaving his home to take time alone. He admitted, 

“I don’t know if I can do anything for a while. I need to just go away somewhere on my own and just think.”

His absence forced the show to pause, as producers waited to see whether Cowell would return.

When he reappeared, Cowell was candid about the weight he carried. Reunited with his son Eric, he said, 

“I’ve thought a lot about things when I was away, and if this was Eric, what would I do? That has really, really been on my mind.”

A new purpose for Simon Cowell: The Next Act

Before Payne’s passing, Simon Cowell: The Next Act positioned itself as a hopeful fresh start — designing a new group with star potential similar to One Direction. But grief brought clarity.

The series begins narrowing its focus on the intense pressure that fame places on young performers.

Cowell, speaking to contestants and their parents, acknowledged the shift: 

“There’s so much that’s happened since we met. I lost a friend recently, which has been really, really tough.”

Then he asked them the question that would define the remainder of The Next Act: 

“Do you really want to sign up to this?”

He warned that the demands of global pop success are far beyond what most imagine. Cowell said,

“I know the pressure, the stress that comes with being in a band. It’s gigantic. Being in the music business, it was tough 10 years ago, 20 years ago. I would argue now it’s even more stressful. Basically, your life changes. There is no privacy.”

Even his confidence in the project had faltered. 

“There was a moment, I’m not going to lie, when I first got the news, where I’m like, ‘I’m not sure we should do this.’”

But he insisted on giving young artists the opportunity he once offered Payne. 

“If you commit, you commit. And there’s a lot to think about.”

Throughout Simon Cowell: The Next Act, the producer answers questions from performers bracing for the spotlight. To a contestant concerned about constant criticism, Cowell said,

“There are going to be things that are written about you that aren’t true, which are frustrating… And you’ve got to have really thick skin to get through it.”

A parent asked how he’d approach things if his son were pursuing fame. Cowell responded, 

“My first question would be, honestly, ‘Do I really, really believe my son can deal with what comes when you become well-known?’… If you have concerns about anything, call me.”

His promises suggest a deeper vigilance over the emotional well-being of those entering the industry — a vigilance shaped by loss.

A tribute embedded in the series

The final episode includes a quiet but powerful dedication: 

“In loving memory of Liam Payne 1993 – 2024.”

A smiling photo of the singer closes the chapter. It acknowledges Payne not just as a star, but as a human being whose life and struggles changed the course of the show.

The Next Act offers a portrait of Cowell confronted by the consequences of success — a journey that no longer ends in applause and record sales alone, but in reflection about how high the price of fame can be.

Simon Cowell: The Next Act still celebrates ambition and the dream of building the next global phenomenon.

Yet Payne’s legacy now anchors the narrative. The show asks its audience — and its young contestants — to reckon with the truth that behind every headline-making pop rise lies a real person carrying real weight.

The search for The Next Act continues, but with deeper care about how that act will endure.

Stay tuned for more updates.