Howie Mandel revealed exclusively to E! News that Simon Cowell is recovering well after back surgery, hours after the procedure forced Cowell to miss more of America's Got Talent's season 21 live shows.
"As I talk to you, he is just hours out of surgery," Mandel told E! News' Erin Lim Rhodes on September 3 at his Los Angeles podcast studios. "I heard that it was a success, everything's okay."
Cowell, 66, has been absent from AGT's live shows this season for medical reasons connected to a 2020 accident in which he broke his back in several places after falling from an e-bike at his Malibu home. Cowell is a longtime television judge and producer best known for creating and judging talent competitions including American Idol, The X Factor and Britain's Got Talent alongside America's Got Talent.
Mandel said he had not yet spoken to Cowell directly. "I haven't called him yet," he said, joking, "I don't know that, this close to surgery, if this is the first thing you need to see."
Mandel, 70, added that once Cowell has had a day or two to recover, he plans to visit him. "I can't wait to see him and visit him and give him my best wishes," said the comedian, who is also known for his role on the medical drama St. Elsewhere.
Kenan Thompson and Heidi Klum step in
With AGT's season finale approaching, Mandel said he expects Cowell to return to the judges' table before a season 21 winner is crowned. "I'm hoping that Simon makes his way back and has a speedy, quick recovery," he said. "That's what I'm looking forward to."
Kenan Thompson, a longtime Saturday Night Live cast member, filled in for Cowell at the judges' table earlier this week. Heidi Klum, an AGT alum, is next in line to keep Cowell's seat warm, a move Mandel called "really exciting."
A wide-open race for the $1 million prize
Asked which season 21 act he thinks will take home the show's $1 million prize and a chance to headline a live show in Las Vegas, Mandel said the decision would be difficult for viewers. "It's going to be a very tough choice for America," he said, "because there are way more than one or two acts worthy of the $1 million."
"I've never seen this close a race," he added.
Klum is set to make her return on America's Got Talent Tuesday at 8 p.m. on NBC.
