America’s Got Talent judge Simon Cowell is set to undergo surgery following an accident with his electric bicycle that left him with a broken back. Though injured and in pain, the good news is that Cowell is, for the most part, now doing well under medical care. “Simon had a fall from his bike on Saturday afternoon whilst testing his new electric bike in the courtyard at his house in Malibu with his family,” a spokesperson for Cowell said. “He hurt his back and was taken to the hospital. He’s doing fine, he’s under observation and is in the best possible hands.”
With television productions getting major delays this year, Cowell had been spending a lot of quality time with his family over the summer. “We definitely have more family time together now. We watch movies in the evening, play together, read books, comics, everything,” Cowell told people back in May. At the time, he would also touch on his exercise routine, noting how he had continued to stay healthy while staying at home. “Cycle, walk, swim, push-ups. I haven’t cheated on my diet,” Cowell said. “I feel really healthy at the moment.”
While these days Cowell serves as a judge for other shows, he is still very well remembered as one of the original judges for the singing competition series American Idol. For years, Cowell shattered the dreams of aspiring singers by referring to their singing as “dreadful,” judging alongside Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson at the height of the show’s fame. He’d end up leaving the show in 2010, creating the new series The X Factor and also serving as an original judge at the start of the show the following year.
In 2016, Cowell again returned to television to be a judge for America’s Got Talent, a competition series aiming to find the most talented people in America. Hosted by Terry Crews, the show also features Howie Mandel, Heidi Klum, and Sofia Vergara as judges. This year will begin the 15th season for the hit NBC series. Each season’s winners are gifted with a substantial cash prize along with the chance to headline a show on the Las Vegas Strip.
Cowell is also set to expand his responsibilities with America’s Got Talent and The X Factor, as it was announced in July that he will take full control of the shows’ producer Syco Entertainment. The news comes after Cowell bought out Sony Music Entertainment’s stake. “At this particular contractual crossroads, it was simply the right thing for Simon to take control of his TV assets and propel his company in a new direction,” Sony Music Group Chairman Rob Stringer said in a statement.
It’s not yet clear how Cowell’s injury will affect his television work schedule. America’s Got Talent is scheduled to air its first live show on Tuesday from Universal Studios in California, resuming production following a filming schedule delay. New episodes are then set to air on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on NBC. We wish Cowell all the best with his recovery. This news comes to us from People.
