A parent’s love is said to be unconditional, but that doesn’t mean that parents want to see their kids in every place — and some parents don’t want to see their kids on the America’s Got Talent stage.
One such parent is AGT judge Simon Cowell, who hopes to never see his son on the stage.
Simon’s son Eric, 9, was in the audience for the Season 18 qualifier round, but his dad hopes that’s as close to the stage as he’ll get.
“He’s a good drummer,” Simon, 63, tells PEOPLE about his son, whom he shares with fiancee Lauren Silverman.
“He really is. Thank God it wasn’t violin, it was drums. And he’s really good. I mean, he’s in time. He’s in rhythm. I keep saying to him, ‘If you’re good, never come on the show.'”
Simon doesn’t even know what sort of act they would perform together if his son were to appear on the show, noting that he would let Eric have the spotlight.
“Oh God,” he groaned. “I dread to think… I would be, I actually don’t have any performing talent whatsoever, so it would have to be him. I would just stand in the wings.”
Simon Cowell loves seeing his son in the audience for AGT
However, Eric is always welcome in the crowd.
Simon loves to watch Eric and his friends get “excited” in the audience, and his son appears to enjoy it since he’s been coming since he was “really young.”
“He’s a great barometer,” Simon shared.
“I look over to look at him, ‘Is he having a good time?’ And he was having a really good time when he’s up on his seat, excited. [It] is the best thing, because with kids, it’s all unfiltered.”
Although Simon doesn’t want to see his son on the AGT stage, it doesn’t appear that Eric is any closer to taking over judging duties like his dad.
Simon Cowell’s son Eric wants to be a rockstar drummer
Speaking to Entertainment Tonight earlier this year, Simon revealed that Eric is interested in being a drummer and wants to “be in a rock band.”
“He’s now decided he’s going to audition for Britain’s Got Talent,” he told ET at the time. “I think he wants to be in a rock band. He loves Green Day.”
“That’s going to be total torture,” Simon continued, joking. “I mean, of all the things I’ve ever done, this will probably be the hardest, because he does play drums. [He’s] going to drum and sing! I went, ‘Oh God, no.'”
Fortunately for Eric and perhaps unfortunately for Simon, Britain’s Got Talent doesn’t have an age limit, so as long as his parents are okay with it, Eric could appear on his dream show to kickstart his drumming career.
America’s Got Talent airs Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 8/7c on NBC.