Simon Cowell might tone down his severe TV persona, now that he’s officially a dad. After a bumpy start to the pregnancy, he and Lauren Silverman welcomed a baby boy on Friday. The music mogul and his girlfriend announced the happy news on Friday, via People. Of course, such a momentous occasion couldn’t pass by unmarked on Twitter, so Cowell also released a message about his new son on the social network. Silverman and Cowell revealed the pregnancy last summer, amonst accusations that the socialite had cheated on her then-husband. The controversy soon died down, however, and the new couple was frequently photographed together, along with Lauren's growing baby bump.

Simon Cowell, Lauren Silverman
Cowell and Silverman became frequent targets for the paparazzi during her pregnancy.

”Very happy to say that Eric was born at [5:45 p.m.]. Healthy and handsome. Lauren [is] in great shape, thanks for all your kind messages,” tweeted Cowell, who also divulged that they named baby Eric after his father.

It appears that the man, who has become every talent show contestant’s nightmare, actually does have a nice bone in his body – maybe even more than one. After the initial announcement, the couple even released pictures of the little one. Cowell tweeted a series of black and white photographs of baby Eric. Warning: prepare for a cute overload.