The judge will reportedly be absent from the TV talent show “for the next couple of weeks” as he’s about to undergo a routine procedure on his back, according to TMZ.
Sources told the outlet that the 66-year-old is scheduled to have back surgery imminently and will be forced to step back from the show for several weeks while he recovers.
The music mogul broke his back when he came off his electric bike at his home in Malibu, California in August 2020. He had metal rods and screws inserted in his back during a six-hour operation and spent months in recovery.
Opening up about the accident in 2021, The X Factor creator told Extra, “When I saw the X-ray, I really nearly could have smashed my spine to pieces, so I literally wouldn’t have been able to walk. I knew I’d broken my back the minute I landed… it was really, really kind of sudden and it hurt.”
He confessed to OK! in 2022 that he was “lucky to survive” his surgery and the recovery had been a “long haul”.
“I didn’t talk about it too much at the time. I kept a lot back. It was a lot worse than people thought. I had a lot of long-term nerve damage as well,” he added. “Then, a year later, I fell off (another) bike – and that set me back again.”
The 21st season of America’s Got Talent, which started airing in June, is currently in the live quarter-finals stage.
It is unclear who will temporarily replace Cowell during his absence or when he’ll return to the judging panel alongside Howie Mandel, Mel B and Sofía Vergara.
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