Simon Cowell has built a hugely successful career, from launching record labels to creating America’s Got Talent, where he’s served as a judge for over 20 years. But in 2020, life took a serious turn when he crashed his electric bike at home in Malibu, breaking his back.
The accident was severe—Cowell feared he might never walk again. He underwent a six-hour surgery where a metal rod was placed in his spine. Though he tweeted a lighthearted message afterward, he later admitted the injury was far worse than he let on.
“I knew I’d broken my back the moment I landed,” he told ExtraTV. An X-ray revealed he narrowly avoided paralysis. Despite doctors’ orders to rest, Cowell was walking just two days after surgery.
The hardest part, he said, was recovering in front of his son, Eric. “I was so embarrassed… but Eric said, ‘Daddy, you’re like Ironman,’ and that meant everything.”
Cowell later shared that the crash threw him several feet in the air after a wheelie. The pain was overwhelming, but the experience gave him a new perspective. “All I kept thinking about was my family… your health is the most important thing.”
Now fully recovered, Cowell says he actually feels better than before. “I had to do so much exercise… I actually feel healthier.” He even joked, “If you want to feel better, break your back!”