Simon Cowell has been missing from AGT due to back surgery; Howie Mandel confirmed Cowell's surgery went well and hopes he'll be back before the season 21 finale

Simon Cowell's absence from America's Got Talent's season 21 live shows has stretched into weeks, but his fellow judge Howie Mandel says there's good news on the recovery front. Speaking to E! News just hours after Cowell went under the knife, Mandel confirmed the back surgery had gone off without a hitch.

Cowell's ongoing health issues trace back to a 2020 accident in which he broke his back in several places after falling off an e-bike at his Malibu home. The latest procedure was described as a previously planned surgery tied to that injury.

Mandel says surgery "was a success"

"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."


Despite the positive update, Mandel admitted he hadn't personally spoken to Cowell yet, joking that a phone call so soon after surgery might not be welcome. "I don't know that, this close to surgery, if this is the first thing you need to see," he said, adding that he plans to give Cowell a day or two before visiting and passing on his best wishes.

Hoping for a return before the finale

With AGT's season 21 finale approaching, Mandel made it clear he's hoping his co-judge makes it back before a winner is crowned. "I'm hoping that Simon makes his way back and has a speedy, quick recovery," he said.

In Cowell's absence, the judges' table has seen a rotation of stand-ins. Kenan Thompson filled the seat earlier in the week, and AGT alum Heidi Klum is next up, a move Mandel called "really exciting."

A tight race for the $1 million prize

Mandel also weighed in on how the season 21 competition itself is shaping up, calling it one of the closest he's seen. "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." He added, "I've never seen this close a race."

Klum is set to sit in at the judges' table on Tuesday at 8 p.m. on NBC.