Whether on “American Idol,” “The X Factor” or “America’s Got Talent,” Simon Cowell has long had a reputation of being the harsh critic on reality TV competition shows.
So fans tuning into new episodes of “America’s Got Talent” may be surprised to see that Cowell is no longer voicing his opinions — although his facial expressions can still get the message across.
Why isn’t Simon Cowell talking on ‘AGT’?
Cowell unexpectedly lost his voice early into the filming for “AGT” Season 18, when something got stuck in his throat.
“I think what happened was the acid from my stomach literally burned my vocal cords,” Cowell told USA Today. “So this doctor came over and put a camera up my nose, down my throat, and I could actually see how badly burnt they were.”
The “AGT” judge had to go on “immediate vocal rest,” which caused a significant change in filming, according to USA Today.
“It was torture. There was so much I wanted to say, and I literally could not talk,” Cowell said, per USA Today. “We tried writing things. At one point, I used this kind of iPad device where I had things I’d said before. I tried to use Sofia (Vergara) to translate for me, and she deliberately said the wrong things, so it was just chaos.”
“Who would have thought that season 18 would have left Simon literally speechless?” Vergara joked in an interview with People. “And of course Simon nominated me to give his reactions. He’s passing notes to me like we are back in school.”
Cowell lost his voice partway through the fourth round of auditions, which aired last week, according to NBC.com. During the fifth round, which aired June 27, the judge started gaining his voice back during an audition from 10-year-old magician Ryland Petty, who appeared in the Season 15 semifinals of “Britain’s Got Talent.”
At the halfway point of the episode — which appears to be a different day of filming due to the judges wearing different outfits — Cowell’s voice is in full form.
When does ‘America’s Got Talent’ air?
“America’s Got Talent” airs Tuesdays on NBC at 7 p.m. MDT, although the show will not air on July 4.