{"id":24911,"date":"2026-08-24T23:27:17","date_gmt":"2026-08-24T23:27:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/?p=24911"},"modified":"2026-08-24T23:27:17","modified_gmt":"2026-08-24T23:27:17","slug":"simon-cowell-to-miss-americas-got-talent-filming-for-back-procedure","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/?p=24911","title":{"rendered":"Simon Cowell to miss ‘America’s Got Talent’ filming for back procedure"},"content":{"rendered":"


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NEW<\/span>You can now listen to Fox News articles!\n <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Simon Cowell is stepping away from the judges\u2019 table.<\/p>\n

The longtime “America\u2019s Got Talent” judge will miss weeks of filming as he prepares to undergo a medical procedure related to lingering back issues, Fox News Digital has learned. The show is in the process of scheduling guest judges to fill in during Cowell’s absence.<\/p>\n

TMZ reported the procedure is routine and tied to Cowell\u2019s longstanding back problems, rather than a new or serious health concern.<\/p>\n

‘AMERICA’S GOT TALENT’ JUDGES CLASH OVER COUNTRY SINGER’S BOLD ORIGINAL PERFORMANCE<\/strong><\/p>\n

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“America\u2019s Got Talent” judge Simon Cowell will miss several weeks of filming as he undergoes a routine procedure for ongoing back issues, Fox News Digital has learned.<\/span> (PG\/Bauer-Griffin\/GC Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Cowell has struggled with back issues since his electric-bike accident in 2020.<\/p>\n

“It could have been a lot worse. When I saw the X-ray, I really nearly smashed my spine to pieces, so I literally wouldn\u2019t (have) been able to walk,” he told Extra six months after his accident.<\/p>\n

The TV personality admitted he immediately knew he had broken his back after falling off the bike.<\/p>\n

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Howie Mandel, Mel B, Sofia Vergara and Simon Cowell are pictured for Season 21 of “America’s Got Talent.”<\/span> (Chris Haston\/Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

GET ENTERTAINMENT SCOOP DELIVERED RIGHT TO YOUR EMAIL BY CLICKING HERE<\/strong><\/p>\n

“You\u2019re not supposed to get up, but I made myself kind of get carried into my bedroom, which is right there at the end of the house, and I\u2019m lying there and I\u2019m kind of passing out. I mean, it was just surreal,” he told the outlet.<\/p>\n

Cowell was later injured in another e-bike incident in 2022. At the time, a source told Fox News Digital that Cowell had “crashed to the ground” and “broke his arm.”<\/p>\n

LIKE WHAT YOU’RE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Simon Cowell was an original judge on “American Idol.”<\/span> (Sami Drasin\/NBC via Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Cowell’s breakthrough in front of the camera came in 2001 when he joined Britain’s “Pop Idol” as a judge.<\/p>\n

His cutting \u2013 and often funny \u2013 assessments of contestants quickly became his trademark.<\/p>\n

PUT YOUR ENTERTAINMENT KNOWLEDGE TO THE TEST AND SEE HOW YOU SCORE<\/strong><\/p>\n

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“America’s Got Talent” has been on air for 20 years.<\/span> (Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

American audiences got to know him the following year as one of the original judges on “American Idol” alongside Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson.<\/p>\n

Cowell subsequently built a television empire, creating “The X Factor” and developing the “Got Talent” franchise while helping launch or promote acts including One Direction, Fifth Harmony and Il Divo.<\/p>\n

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP<\/strong><\/p>\n

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