Simon Cowell has been absent from the judges’ table while recovering from a “routine” back procedure
Credit: Trae Patton/NBC
NEED TO KNOW
- Simon Cowell will miss the America’s Got Talent season 21 finale this week as he continues his previously announced break
- Howie Mandel, Sofía Vergara and Mel B will be joined by a guest judge in his place, British influencer KSI
- Cowell temporarily stepped away from the show in August to undergo a “routine” procedure on his back
Simon Cowell will not be at the judges’ table for the America’s Got Talent season 21 finale this week.
The longtime judge and series creator, 66, will miss the two-night live finale, airing on Tuesday, Sept. 22, and Wednesday, Sept. 23, as he continues his previously announced break from the NBC competition show following a back surgery.
Instead, NBC announced on Sept. 22 that KSI will join Howie Mandel, Sofía Vergara and Mel B at the judges’ table. KSI, 33, is a British influencer, musician and former professional boxer who rose to fame on YouTube and has served as a judge on Britain’s Got Talent since 2025.
Credit: Ian West/PA Images via Getty
Cowell temporarily stepped away from AGT in August to address ongoing issues related to his back.
PEOPLE confirmed on Aug. 24 that Cowell would miss several weeks of filming while undergoing the procedure. Additionally, a rep for Cowell told Entertainment Weekly at the time that the surgery was “routine” and that he was expected to return in a few weeks.
His absence was first addressed during the Aug. 25 live show, when his chair remained empty and Mandel, Vergara and Mel B judged the competition as a trio.
Credit: Trae Patton/NBC
Kenan Thompson was later announced as the first guest judge to fill Cowell’s seat, joining the panel for the third round of quarterfinals. The Saturday Night Live alum previously stepped in for Cowell in August 2020 after the judge broke his back in an electric bike accident.
Heidi Klum also made her return to AGT amid Cowell’s absence. Host Terry Crews announced during the Sept. 2 episode that the former judge would be returning to the judges’ desk as another temporary guest judge.
“We will have another guest judge next week,” Crews said at the time. “But check this out. It’s the return of AGT super judge Heidi Klum. Yes, Heidi will be back at the judges’ desk. How cool is that? Are you excited? I’m excited. The chair is ready and waiting for you, Heidi.”
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Klum previously served as a judge on AGT from 2013 to 2018 and again from 2020 to 2024, appearing across 11 nonconsecutive seasons before exiting the series.
Cowell has been candid about his back problems in the years leading up to his latest procedure.
In August 2020, he broke his back in three places after falling off an electric bike at his Malibu home. The injury required a five-hour surgery and forced Cowell to miss part of AGT season 15.
Months later, Cowell told PEOPLE he was feeling “much better” after his recovery. “I’ve got to be honest with you, it wasn’t that bad actually breaking your back,” he said in February 2021. “I mean it wasn’t great for three to four weeks, but after that you get through it. I had to do so much exercise now. I actually feel better than I did before the accident.”
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Still, Cowell admitted that returning home after the accident was initially difficult. He recalled being “embarrassed about coming home looking about 100 [years old] because I couldn’t walk, and I have these metal rods in my back and these screws.”
Cowell was particularly concerned about how to explain his condition to his son Eric, now 12, whom he shares with fiancée Lauren Silverman.
“I said, ‘Lauren, I just don’t know how to explain it to [Eric],’” Cowell recalled. “She obviously said something to him because he came in … and I was lying in bed and he said, ‘Daddy, you’re like Iron Man,’ and I thought that was the sweetest thing and it meant a lot.”
Credit: Chris Haston/NBC
Cowell returned to AGT in the years that followed and was back alongside Mandel, Vergara and returning judge Mel B when season 21 premiered in June.
His absence comes as the competition prepares to crown its latest winner. Ten acts — Acro Canine Crew, Come Here, Geno Ploeger, Hundred Fingers, Lai Noelle, Nene Royal, Olivia Befus, Royal Lasers, Unitree and Veronika Goroshkova — advanced to the season 21 finale.
The finalists will perform for America’s vote on Tuesday, Sept. 22, before the winner is revealed during the live results show on Wednesday, Sept. 23.
The two-part live America’s Got Talent finale airs Tuesday, Sept. 22, and Wednesday, Sept. 23, at 9 p.m. ET on NBC and streams the next day on Peacock.
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