“The X Factor” Judge Simon Cowell Loves To Have A Pet Penguin

“The X Factor” Judge Simon Cowell Loves To Have A Pet Penguin

"The X Factor" judge known for being a bit of a killjoy, apparently likes penguins so much that he said he would love to have one of the flightless birds to call his own.

"Watching Mr. Poppers Penguins again," the 52-year-old tweeted this week. "I love this film. I really do want a pet penguin."

The 2011 film stars by Jim Carrey is about a divorced real estate entrepreneur who is bequeathed a gentoo penguin named Captain in his late father's will. But when he tries to send back the penguin, due to a mix up, five more arrive. Suddenly he's sharing his New York City apartment, which clearly doesn't allow pets, with a bunch of birds.

“Of course, if Cowell really wanted a penguin and we're sure he has the cash to afford one, he’d have to purchase an entire zoo as it's not legal to keep a penguin as a domesticated pet in the United States. Plus, while they can be affectionate, in general they aren't. They're kind of ornery,” Dyan deNapoli, aka "The Penguin Lady," toldNationalGeographic.com last year.

Although Cowell can be a little rough and gruff on "The X Factor," he's actually a huge animal lover. He's created a TV show about pooches, a British reality TV competition series called "That Dog Can Dance," which searches for exceptional canines and has also teamed up with PETA on multiple projects, including a PSA reminding dog owners not to leave their pets in hot cars. In addition, he's worked with the "Animals Matter to Me" campaign for the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA), which educates the public about the damage done to wildlife by illegal trafficking.

Posted by Kade Quinn on Monday December 03 2012, 2:45 AM EDT. Ref: Google. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Entertainment. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0