“America’s Got Talent” judge Simon Cowell underwent surgery Saturday night after breaking his back following a fall from an electric bike at his home in Malibu, California.
“Simon has broken his back in a number of places in a fall from his bike whilst testing a new electric bike in the courtyard of his home in Malibu with his family,” a rep for Cowell told TheWrap. “He was taken to [the] hospital where they operated overnight, he’s under observation and is doing fine.”
A source told People, “It was a five-hour surgery and he has had to have a number of fusions and metal rod put into his back.”
Cowell will not participate in Tuesday and Wednesday’s live telecasts of “America’s Got Talent,” which is scheduled to be its first live performance shows of the 15th season.
Cowell created “AGT” and has served as a judge since season 11. He has also been the judge on “Britain’s Got Talent,” “The X Factor” and “American Idol.”
He has been sitting out the coronavirus pandemic in Malibu with his girlfriend Lauren Silverman, their 6-year-old son, Eric, and her 14-year-old son from a previous relationship.
For the record: A previous version of this story incorrectly said that Simon Cowell had served as a judge on all 15 seasons of “AGT.”