Simon Cowell drops out of Britain’s Got Talent filming with replacement revealed

| Live News reporter Published September 20, 2026 2:43pm Updated September 20, 2026 2:44pm Simon Cowell will reportedly miss Britain’s Got Talent’s Blackpool auditions (Picture: REX/Shutterstock) Simon Cowell has dropped out of filming for Britain’s Got Talent, with a guest judge lined up to take his place. The 66-year-old will miss the show’s Blackpool auditions alongside his usual panellists Amanda Holden, Alesha Dixon and KSI. Simon was forced to withdraw from America’s Got Talent filming earlier this month in LA in order to get a procedure on his back. Now, production company Fremantle is said to be considering a male comedian to stand in for him during the remaining auditions in Blackpool while he recovers from the surgery. A source told The Sun that Simon was ‘gutted’ to be missing the auditions, but he needs to focus on his recovery. Get personalised updates on Britain's Got Talent Wake up to find news on your TV shows in your inbox every morning with Metro’s TV Newsletter. Sign up to our newsletter and then select your show in the link we’ll send you so we can get TV news tailored to you. ‘Simon is of course gutted to be missing the auditions, but it’s important that he rests up now so he can make a full recovery,’ the source said. The 66-year-old TV mogul is said to be recovering from back surgery (Picture: David Fisher/Shutterstock) ‘It was a routine op that went well and he knows the team will find a fun guest judge to spice up filming and keep the audience on their toes. ‘The current thinking is that producers will choose a male comedian to stand in for now, but decisions are being made currently.’ After breaking his back in an electric bike accident in 2020, Simon has undergone a series of procedures over the last few years. In 2023, the TV mogul opened up about the crash, which required six hours of extensive surgery. He explained: ‘I was so close to living the rest of my life in a wheelchair. ‘It gives you a completely different outlook on life. In a positive way. A male comedian is said to be in the running to join KSI, Amanda Holden and Alesha Dixon (Picture: Dymond/TalkbackThames/Shutterstock) ‘It hurt — trust me — when it ­happened, but good things happened off the back of it.’ Simon’s rumoured absence on Britain’s Got Talent also comes after X Factor fans spotted a major clue that the reboot is happening. As rumours of a reboot continue to circulate, The X Factor has changed its profile picture on Facebook, leaving fans convinced that the show is coming back. This weekend, The X Factor quietly updated its Facebook page, changing the profile picture back to that of its 2016-2018 logo. This is the third redesign of the branding, which stripped away the words ‘The’ and ‘Factor’ from the design, leaving only the X. Deals of the Day Primark's new £14 co-ord has autumn styling on a budget covered Topman’s new-season collection has arrived and prices start at just £10 An Instagram mattress left me with back pain – this one completely changed my mind From £700 MacBooks to discounted iPhones, the best Apple tech for studentsb Save 25% on red light therapy masks, sauna blankets and sleep gadgets in Bon Charge sale Arrow MORE: ‘One of the hottest talents on British TV’ tipped to host X Factor reboot Arrow MORE: X Factor insider: ‘It would be a shame to bring back Poundland version of show’ Arrow MORE: The X Factor reboot won’t work – prove me wrong TV Newsletter Sign up and tell us which TV shows you love to watch to get personalised updates every morning.