‘America’s Got Talent’ Judges Miss Simon Cowell Amid Surgery Recovery: ‘We’ve Set Sail Without the Captain’

Simon Cowell may be missing from the America’s Got Talent judges’ table, but the show must go on — and his fellow judges say they’re doing their best to keep things moving while he recovers.

During an appearance on The Jennifer Hudson Show on Tuesday (Sept. 22), the AGT panel opened up about what it’s been like filming without Cowell, who has been recovering from a routine back surgery. He has been absent from the show’s season 21 live episodes thus far.

“We miss him,” Sofia Vergara said, adding that the judges have learned how to handle unexpected changes. “The show must go on.”

Cowell’s absence has been noticeable throughout the season’s live shows. As previously reported by Billboard, the longtime judge and AGT executive producer stepped away in August to undergo back surgery related to injuries he sustained in a 2020 electric-bike accident. According to Entertainment Weekly, his representative had described the procedure as routine and said Cowell would return after a few weeks.

His fellow judges, though, say the empty seat he leaves is more than just having one fewer person at the table.

“I miss him,” Howie Mendel said. “It’s not the same.”

When Hudson asked what Mendel misses most about Cowell, he joked that he missed having someone around who would tell him when he was wrong. “I’m only comfortable with somebody telling me I’m wrong,” he laughed. “I love him.”

Mandel took the sentiment a step further, comparing Cowell’s absence to sailing without the person normally steering the ship. “This is his boat, and I feel like we’ve set sail without the captain,” he said.

While Cowell has been away, AGT has brought in a rotating lineup of guest judges to fill his seat, including Kenan Thompson and previous judge Heidi Klum.

Klum returned to the AGT panel for the Sept. 8 episode, reuniting with Mandel, Vergara and Mel B. The model and television personality was a regular judge from seasons 8 through 13 and again from seasons 15 through 19, departing after the 2024 season.

According to the judges, having Klum back on the panel was a seamless reunion. “Oh my God, Heidi, she is so much fun,” Vergara said.

She went on to say that Klum had been friends with Mel B before becoming friends with Vergara, emphasizing that Klum naturally fit back into the dynamic. “She was happy to come and help us, to give us a hand,” Vergara adds.

Klum’s appearance was announced as a temporary return while Cowell recovers, instead of a permanent change to the panel. Cowell’s recovery will keep him from the season 21 finale, with British social media star KSI filling the guest-judge seat alongside Mandel, Vergara and Mel B for the finale.