Simon Cowell Breaks Back In Electric Bike Fall

MALIBU, CA — Music mogul and TV judge Simon Cowell is in the hospital recovering from surgery after breaking his back in his back in several places after falling off an electric bike at his Malibu home.

A spokeswoman for Cowell said that he’s “doing fine.”

“Simon had a fall from his bike, testing his new electric bike in the courtyard at his house in Malibu with his family. He hurt his back and was taken to hospital. He’s doing fine, he’s under observation and is in the best possible hands,” she said on Saturday.

Cowell, 60, was in the hospital for six hours Saturday night and underwent several procedures, including having a steel rod placed in his back. A report in the British newspaper The Sun claimed that the accident almost cost Cowell the use of his legs, and Page Six quoted doctors who said that Cowell narrowly missed severing his spinal cord.

Cowell was supposed to return Tuesday to judge the first live episode in months of “America’s Got Talent.”

“Simon is gutted to not be physically there for the semi-finals, but he’ll be there virtually, casting an eye over the talent and imparting his views in every show,” a source told The Sun. TMZ has reported that singer and talk show host Kelly Clarkson, the first winner of one of Cowell's flagship creations American Idol, will sit in for him.

Cowell said that he tried to ride the bike before reading its instruction manual. “Some good advice… if you buy an electric trail bike, read the manual before you ride it for the time,” Cowell tweeted Sunday evening.

Some good advice...
If you buy an electric trail bike, read the manual before you ride it for the first time.
I have broken part of my back.
Thank you to everyone for your kind messages.
— Simon Cowell (@SimonCowell) August 10, 2020

He also thanked his nurses and doctors, calling them, “some of the nicest people I have ever met.”

Page Six reported that Cowell did a turn the courtyard of his home, changed gears, and the bike went into a wheelie that threw him off the back.

Cowell has been pictured on several bike rides recently with his partner Laura Silverman and their six-year-old son, Eric, part of a healthier lifestyle that has resulted in the loss of 60 pounds over the past few years. The Guardian reported that Cowell began the new diet and exercise regimen after falling from the stairs of his London home in October 2017.

Cowell said that the fall reminded him that “we’re not invincible.”

“After all, I am a dad and have more responsibility than ever.”