Simon Cowell broke his back on Saturday afternoon (Aug. 8) while test riding his electric bicycle in Malibu, California, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.
The English record executive and host of America’s Got Talent is being treated in hospital and will have surgery.
“Simon had a fall from his bike on Saturday afternoon whilst testing his new electric bike in the courtyard at his house in Malibu with his family,” a spokesperson for Cowell told THR. “He hurt his back and was taken to the hospital. He’s doing fine, he’s under observation and is in the best possible hands.”
In follow-up correspondence, the spokesperson told THR, “Simon has broken his back and will be having surgery this evening.”
Last April, Cowell’s company Syco Entertainment teamed with the Shanghai Media Group on a new Chinese talent show The Magnificent Dancer, based on Syco’s competition series The Greatest Dancer, which launched in the U.K. in 2019 on BBC One. Two seasons have been broadcast so far.
Late last year, Syco and Fremantle-owned banner Thames signed a new five-year deal with the U.K.’s ITV, ensuring that the reality series Britain’s Got Talent remains on the channel until 2024. Meanwhile, competition series The X Factor returned this year.
This article originally appeared on The Hollywood Reporter.
