Simon Cowell Says Painful Back Injury From Electric-Bike Accident Caused Sudden 'America's Got Talent' Break

Simon Cowell is stepping away from the judges' table on America's Got Talent as lingering injuries from a past electric-bike accident force him to undergo a medical procedure.

The longtime TV personality is expected to miss several weeks of filming, with guest judges being lined up to take his place.

"Obviously medical matters are private but it’s routine and he will be back in a few weeks," his rep confirmed to Entertainment Weekly.

Cowell's absence is tied to ongoing back problems stemming from an electric-bike accident in 2020, according to TMZ.

The upcoming procedure was described as routine and is not believed to be related to a new health issue.

Cowell has been candid about just how frightening his first electric-bike crash was.

Six months after the accident, Cowell told Extra, "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't [have] been able to walk."

"You're 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'm lying there and I'm kind of passing out. I mean, it was just surreal," he recalled.

The 2020 accident was not Cowell's only frightening experience on an e-bike.

In 2022, he was reportedly involved in a second crash that resulted in another injury.

A source told Fox News Digital at the time that Cowell had "crashed to the ground" and "broke his arm."

The host reportedly "turned a sharp corner" on a wet road, TMZ reported at the time.

His bike's tires "went out from under him, and he crashed to the ground."

The Sun also reported about the incident and said the executive was "lucky to be alive" after he was thrown from his bike while riding at 20 mph without a helmet.

"He was pedaling along, with his electric motor on, when the wheels suddenly went from under him after hitting a wet patch," a source told The Sun. "He slipped and went flying over the handlebars into the middle of the road."

They also revealed he was bleeding from his face, comparing his injuries to "something from Phantom of the Opera."

Cowell's career as a television judge began gaining major attention in the early 2000s when he joined Britain's Pop Idol in 2001.

He quickly became a familiar face to American viewers after joining American Idol the following year.