Kelly Clarkson is stepping in for Simon Cowell on Tuesday and Wednesday's live shows for 'America's Got Talent.'
Kelly Clarkson is stepping in for Simon Cowell on Tuesday and Wednesday's live shows for America's Got Talent, after Cowell had to undergo surgery for a broken back as a result of a bike accident on Saturday. Clarkson announced the news on Instagram on Monday and joked that she was "wiser, cooler, and hotter" than Cowell. Clarkson is, of course, the original American Idol champ, when Cowell was one of the judges.
"My friend, Simon Cowell, is doing better now but was in an accident and won't be able to make Tuesday and Wednesday's live shows for AGT," Clarkson wrote. "But no worries America, someone far wiser, cooler, and hotter is taking his seat! The unbelievably amazing Kelly Clarkson ? You're welcome in advance!"
ET previously learned that Cowell suffered a bike accident and underwent six hours of overnight surgery on Saturday, after breaking his back in a number of places. He had a number of procedures and fusions, including having a metal rod inserted in his back.
His rep also shared with ET, "Simon had a fall from his bike testing his new electric bike in the courtyard at his house in Malibu with his family. He hurt his back and was taken to hospital. He's doing fine, he's under observation and is in the best possible hands."
Cowell tweeted about the incident Sunday evening.
"Some good advice... If you buy an electric trail bike, read the manual before you ride it for the first time," he wrote. "I have broken part of my back. Thank you to everyone for your kind messages."
"And a massive thank you to all the nurses and doctors," he added. "Some of the nicest people I have ever met. Stay safe everyone. Simon."
ET spoke to Cowell on Friday, just one day before his accident, and he talked about being excited for the return of AGT's live shows, which he now has to sit out.
"I thought it wasn't gonna happen," he acknowledged to ET's Kevin Frazier about the popular NBC talent show returning. "I mean, there are so many hoops you gotta go through, right? But I think we pulled it off. It's gonna look different than any other previous year. It's gonna be big, it's gonna be entertaining, it's gonna be wild, it's gonna be unpredictable, but I love that, you know? I like that thrill of being on a roller coaster when you're like, 'This is gonna have its ups and downs, but I don't know what's coming.' I love that."
Interestingly enough, Cowell said he and his fellow judges would be riding around the Universal Studios set in Universal City, California, in golf carts and on motorbikes.
"We are going to be in golf carts, motorbikes and probably God knows what else, going from place to place, so that is the part I am most excited about," he said. "We don't know where we are going next, who we are going to see, I think we pulled off a miracle here."
For more on Cowell, watch the video below.
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