Music mogul Simon Cowell has called celebrities to pay their staff out of their own pockets instead of using taxpayer money during the coronavirus pandemic. He is putting his money where his mouth is, and the 60-year-old is personally paying the 50 staff who work at his production company in Syco, in London, and Los Angeles. While his TV shows have stopped being produced in the US and UK, he has assured those working for him that there's no risk of furlough or redundancy. Now, Cowell is calling on other celebrities to "rise to this enormous challenge" presented by the pandemic and use their own resources to help their staff get through this difficult time. Virgin Australia is seeking a $1.4 billion government bailout: [[jwplayerwidget||https://content.jwplatform.com/videos/5VpMmsHs-dkXnENEs.mp4||5VpMmsHs]] <a href="https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/11459034/simon-cowell-duncan-bannatyne-branson-victoria-beckham-coronavirus-furlough/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">As per The Sun</a>, Cowell said: "I don't like celebrities telling people what to do, and I know this is a hugely difficult time for so many - worries about family, health, jobs, paying the mortgage and feeding their family are at the forefront of people's minds. "But there are still other people in business and in entertainment with resources available, so today it's those people I'm urging to rise to this enormous challenge." This isn't the only thing Cowell has done right during the pandemic, either. The <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8244869/Duncan-Bannatyne-blasts-Richard-Branson-seeking-500m-bailout-save-Virgin-Atlantic.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">MailOnline</a> reported that he donated $1.98 million of his personal fortune to charities who are struggling. <img class="wp-image-12594229 size-full" src="https://img.vt.co/2020/04/e5e83e50-simon-1.jpg" alt="Simon Cowell." width="600" height="767" />[[imagecaption|| Credit: PA Images]] Cowell's sentiment about celebrities using their own cash instead of relying on the government was shared by Duncan Bannatyne, who has hit out at Richard Branson, a billionaire, for asking for handouts to stop Virgin Atlantic from going into administration. [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/DuncanBannatyne/status/1253009151212556289]] When someone made the suggestion Bannatyne had "invested your own money and also your hand has been forced by the government to comply," he hit back: "Yep and I have gone to the Bank NOT the UK taxpayer. The bank. A viable business will get the money from a Bank."

Simon Cowell calls for celebs to pay staff and not use taxpayer money

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