For over two decades, Simon Cowell has been the voice of entertainment, shaping TV shows and guiding contestants to success. But lately, the America's Got Talent judge has had to take a step back after losing his voice. Let me tell you what really happened to this entertainment mogul and how he ended up with a vocal cord injury. You won’t believe it!
Simon Cowell’s Voice Struggles on AGT
Season 18 of America’s Got Talent launched with a bang on May 30. But as the weeks went by, fans noticed something was off. Simon’s voice started sounding strained and hoarse. By the halfway point of the auditions, he couldn’t speak at all. Luckily, his fellow judge and friend, Terry Crews, came up with a creative solution. “Being the great person that I am, I got a gift for him,” Terry joked during a June 27 episode. “I have a special soundboard loaded with thousands of comments—things Simon has said over the years. So, we’ll still be able to hear Simon Cowell!”
Simon used the soundboard to communicate with contestants, and let me tell you, it brought the house down! The audience and fellow judges, including Howie Mandel, Sofía Vergara, and Heidi Klum, couldn’t stop laughing. “There are no words to describe the excitement level of season 18,” Howie joked to People in March. “It’s serendipitous that this is the season Simon lost his voice. Finally!”
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What Caused Simon’s Vocal Issues?
When fans started worrying after the show’s premiere, Simon finally opened up about what really happened. The executive, who shares son Eric with fiancée Lauren Silverman, revealed that something unexpected got stuck in his throat. “I think what happened was the acid from my stomach literally burned my vocal cords,” he told USA Today in late May. “The doctor came over and put a camera up my nose and down my throat. I could actually see how badly they were burnt. It was pretty rough.”
After seeing the doctor, Simon was put on vocal rest. “It was torture,” he admitted. “There was so much I wanted to say, but I literally couldn’t talk. We tried writing things down, but it was chaos. At one point, I used an iPad with pre-recorded phrases. I even tried getting Sofía to translate for me, but she deliberately said the wrong things. It was wild!”
Luckily, Simon regained his voice toward the end of the audition phase. He’ll be back in full force for the live shows this summer, ready to deliver those iconic phrases we all know and love.
