America’s Got Talent judge Howie Mandel recently provided an update on his co-star Simon Cowell’s health. Cowell is recovering from back surgery, which has caused him to miss a few weeks of the Season 21 competition.
Howie Mandel Gives Update on Simon Cowell’s Health
Earlier this season, AGT host Terry Crews explained Simon Cowell’s absence from the show’s panel to viewers at home by sharing, “He’s having an operation that cannot be postponed. It’s not an emergency, but it can’t be put off.”
Last week, Cowell was replaced by guest judge Kenan Thompson. This week, former judge Heidi Klum will fill in for him. Recently, Cowell’s fellow judge Howie Mandel gave an update on his condition after undergoing surgery.
“As I talk to you, he is just hours out of surgery. I heard that it was a success, everything’s okay,” Mandel told E! News last Thursday. He said he hadn’t called Cowell at the time, joking, “I don’t know that, this close to surgery, if this is the first thing you need to see.”
However, Mandel said that he “can’t wait to see him and visit him and give him my best wishes.” He said he expects Cowell to be back on the show before the winner is announced, adding, “I’m hoping that Simon makes his way back and has a speedy, quick recovery.”
Tuesday’s new live episode of AGT will be three hours long instead of the usual two, featuring both performances and results in one night. Rather than voting overnight for their favorite acts and learning the results on Wednesday night, viewers will make their picks during the first two hours of the show.
The third hour of the show will be devoted to announcing the results, as three acts make it through to the Semifinals. By the end of Tuesday’s episode, the Top 16 acts will be determined. Four of those acts will be going straight to the Finals thanks to the Golden Buzzer, while the other 12 will compete in the live Semifinals.
Are you looking forward to Simon Cowell’s return to AGT once he has recovered from surgery? Let us know in the comments below, and tune in to NBC on Tuesday night for a new episode.
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Jill O'Rourke Jill O’Rourke is a contributor at Talent Recap, writing news stories and recaps for shows like ‘AGT,’ ‘The Voice,’ and ‘American Idol.’ She graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in English and Film Studies, and has been writing about pop culture since 2012, with previous bylines at Crushable and A Plus. Jill spends her free time binge-watching sitcoms and daydreaming about life as a hobbit
