The music mogul rejected a dinner invitation from Obama because he was too busy with his TV commitments.
Simon, 49, told US talk show host Jay Leno: “He wanted to have dinner and our diaries didn’t quite match. We just didn’t quite connect.”
A shocked Jay replied: “And what were you doing - whitening your teeth? Fixing your hair?”
Obama has previously likened his new job to being a contestant on one of Simon’s TV talent shows – which include
American Idol
and
The X Factor
in the UK.
He said: "I do think in Washington it's a little bit like
American Idol
. But everybody is Simon Cowell. Everybody's got an opinion." Simon has since invited the US leader to appear one of his shows.
Speaking to a UK radio station he said: “We're trying to get Obama to do a show at the moment. He was talking about how everyone in Washington is a critic, like me. I'm not sure if it's a compliment or not."