Kenan Thompson’s AGT replacement role for Simon Cowell has been confirmed, with the Saturday Night Live star set to take Cowell’s seat on the judges’ panel for the episode of America’s Got Talent airing on Tuesday, 1 September. Cowell is stepping away temporarily following surgery on his back.
Why Simon Cowell is missing from the panel
Cowell, who is 66, according to MyFoxZone, broke his back in 2020 after falling off an electric motorcycle. He has undergone multiple operations in the years since, and while the latest procedure is said to be routine, it requires him to be absent from a number of episodes in the current series.
Cowell opened up about the extent of the injury in a 2022 interview with OK! Magazine, making clear it had been far more serious than the public was led to believe at the time. ‘I kept a lot back. It was a lot worse than people thought. I had a lot of long-term nerve damage as well,’ he said. ‘If there was one good thing about lockdown, it was that it gave me the time to heal, because I wasn’t working on a TV show.’
He also credited his own efforts with helping his recovery. ‘I was able to walk a lot and strengthen my legs. I know I was lucky to survive my back surgery. I have a lot of people to thank for my recovery,’ he added.
Kenan Thompson AGT replacement: what to expect on the night
The news was confirmed through the show’s official social media accounts, with a post shared on Instagram. For the 1 September episode, Thompson will join Mel B, Howie Mandel and Sofia Vergara at the judges’ table, while Terry Crews remains on hosting duties.
This is not Thompson’s first time filling in. He covered for Cowell on a handful of episodes back in 2020, though the panel line-up was different then, with Heidi Klum sitting in the seat now occupied by Mel B. His return to the role means America’s Got Talent is turning to a familiar face rather than an unknown quantity when it needs cover.
It was reported a few days ago that Cowell would be absent from multiple episodes of the current season, and the show moved quickly to lock in a replacement. Bringing Thompson back follows a tried-and-tested approach: keep the energy at the table consistent for viewers who tune in week after week.
Cowell’s broader TV footprint
Beyond America’s Got Talent, Cowell is well known to audiences on both sides of the Atlantic through The X Factor and Britain’s Got Talent. His absence from a handful of episodes is unlikely to derail either series’ current run, though his recovery will be watched with interest by fans and production teams alike.
America’s Got Talent airs on NBC in the United States. In the UK, the show has previously aired on ITV2 and been available on Netflix, though today official compilations of each episode’s performances can be found on the show’s YouTube channel.
Thompson steps in for the 1 September episode, and further guest judges may be announced as Cowell’s recovery continues.
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