Simon Cowell was hospitalized Saturday after breaking his back in an accident at his home in Malibu.
De America’s Got Talent Judge and executive producer was expected to test his new electric bike in the courtyard of his home when the accident happened. He was taken to hospital, where he was given Saturday to undergo surgery.
“He’s doing well,” a rep assured Cowell Folk. “He is under observation and is in the best possible hands.”
The accident comes just days before Cowell is scheduled to shoot America’s Got Talent‘s first live show.
The NBC reality series resumed production on its current 15th season in late June following a month-long production halt due to COVID-19. As a security feature, the show moved from its spacious auditorium in Hollywood to an establishment in the Simi Valley, designed to resemble a drive-in movie theater, with judges Cowell, Howie Mandel, Heidi Klum and newcomer Sofia Vergara now sitting a reasonable distance from one another. In addition, the number of Judge Cuts episodes was trimmed from four to just one.
Cowell applauded the changes, arguing that the Judge Cuts killed the momentum built by the high-energy auditions. “I personally would now stick to this new way we have done it, not just for the present, but for the future,” he told our sister site Deadline back in June. “I think it’s a better show this year than it has been in previous years.”
