‘Get a grip!’ Stephen Dixon delivers brutal Simon Cowell dig after X Factor star shares views on parenting
GB News host Stephen Dixon has launched a scathing attack on Simon Cowell after the music mogul suggested children receive excessive amounts of homework.
“Get a grip Simon,” Stephen fumed during a discussion with political commentator Duncan Barkes about Cowell’s recent comments.
The sharp rebuke came after Cowell told ITV’s This Morning that schools put too much pressure on pupils, arguing that children who leave home at 7am and return at 5 or 6pm shouldn’t face additional hours of homework.
“I would say to any teacher watching, ban homework, you’ll have happier kids and they’ll do better,” Cowell had stated during his interview with Jeff Brazier.
Political commentator Duncan Barkes said: “Ah, so Mr X Factor Simon Cowell has given an interview.
“He was speaking to a TV channel and said, basically, kids get out of bed at 7 in the morning, they’re at school all day, and by the time they get home around 5 or 6 in the evening they’ve already had a long day.
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“According to him, the child he’s responsible for gets home around that time and already has too much to do. So his view is: we shouldn’t be giving children homework.
Stephen fumed: “Get a grip Simon.”
Barkes said: “He also mentioned something else interesting he doesn’t have a mobile phone.
“He said he’s concerned about children getting phones too early. His 11-year-old has started asking, ‘Can I have a phone, Dad?’ But Simon gave up his own phone a while ago and says he feels much better without it.”
Stephen responded bluntly: “Well, that’s because Simon has an assistant who has a phone.”
He added: “Look, I do think kids sometimes get far too much homework, I’d agree with that. But they also need to get out of the school environment and have some time to reflect on what they’ve learned.”
Cowell’s protective parenting approach extends beyond technology concerns.
During the interview, he described fatherhood as “the best thing to ever happen” to him “out of everything I’ve ever done in my life.”
The former Pop Idol judge welcomed Eric in February 2014 with partner Lauren Silverman. “The very first time I saw his scan, I was literally obsessed,” Cowell recalled.
Despite his softer side emerging since becoming a father, Cowell insisted he would maintain his famously harsh honesty if Eric pursued entertainment. “If Eric said to me, ‘I want to be a singer’ and he couldn’t sing, I would be absolutely honest with him,” he stated.
He revealed Eric shows musical promise as a drummer but remains shy about performing. “He actually can play the drums well but he’s quite shy,” Cowell noted.