Looks Like Simon Cowell Is Already Throwing Himself Into New Activities Following Back Surgery

america's got talent season 15 simon cowell thumbs up nbc
(Image credit: NBC)

Simon Cowell made headlines in 2020 for reasons other than his prolific TV reality career and his tough critiques on America's Got Talent, when he broke his back in an electric bike accident. Cowell himself gave an update on his condition to fans shortly after news of the injury began to circulate, and although he made light of the incident, he didn't mince words about his injury. Now, five months after his injury, Cowell is throwing himself back into activities to the point that one of his friends is concerned.

Singer and pop star Sinitta, a longtime friend of Simon Cowell's who also appeared on The X Factor alongside Cowell in the U.K., went on a holiday vacation in Barbados with him and his family. She spoke with HELLO! about Cowell riding a jet ski just months after breaking his back, saying:

I must admit as much as I love seeing him back to his old self and bombing about on a jet ski so soon, there was still a part of me that questioned 'is this sensible Simon?' To which he replied ..... ' oops!'

Sinitta's comments about Simon Cowell's aquatic adventures follow the images that surfaced in December of him on a jet ski. The good news is that despite Sinitta's concerns that this was awfully soon after he broke his back after making what he himself revealed was an error of judgment with his new electric bike, Cowell seems to have enjoyed his jet ski time without any further injury.

The course of Simon Cowell's recovery process included a five-hour surgery, and Sinitta herself had updated fans back in September that the X Factor and America's Got Talent judge had taken some steps and was not paralyzed, but was going to have to take his time to get well. He didn't return to America's Got Talent Season 15 (in the flesh, anyway), but was replaced by a series of guest judges, including original American Idol champ Kelly Clarkson, before the finals went on without him.

His future on America's Got Talent now that the jet skiing has made it clear that he is very much up and at 'em still isn't clear, but Simon Cowell is on his way back to television. He is on board to judge the upcoming season of The X Factor Israel, which will be the fourth season of the Israel edition of the hit show that Cowell originally created in the U.K. and then spread throughout the world, including for a brief run in the U.S.

The new season of The X Factor Israel is already in production, so Simon Cowell will presumably be back in a judge's seat on TV in the first half of 2021. As for America's Got Talent across the pond in the United States, fans will have to wait and see. He has evidently recovered enough from his back injury to return to work, but the ongoing concerns about the pandemic may mean that his future on the series (and how AGT Season 16 will even work) are uncertain at this point.

For now, fans can just be relieved that Simon Cowell is doing so much better after what sounded like a terrible injury, and hope that Sinitta's concerns about him getting back to his old, active self so soon are unfounded. Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for more updates in television and film, and be sure to check out our 2021 winter and spring premiere schedule.

Laura Hurley
Senior Content Producer

Laura turned a lifelong love of television into a valid reason to write and think about TV on a daily basis. She's not a doctor, lawyer, or detective, but watches a lot of them in primetime. CinemaBlend's resident expert and interviewer for One Chicago, the galaxy far, far away, and a variety of other primetime television. Will not time travel and can cite multiple TV shows to explain why. She does, however, want to believe that she can sneak references to The X-Files into daily conversation (and author bios).