MALIBU, Calif. (AP) — Simon Cowell will miss the season's start of “America's Got Talent” live shows because of a back injury requiring surgery.

Cowell broke his back Saturday while testing his new electric bicycle at his home in California and was to undergo surgery that evening, according to a spokesperson for the entertainment mogul.

He will be absent when NBC's “America’s Got Talent” kicks off its run of live shows beginning Tuesday and Wednesday, the network said Sunday.

Cowell, who fell off the bike while in the courtyard with his family at his house in Malibu, created the talent show and serves as a judge. The show's other judges are Heidi Klum, Howie Mandel and Sofia Vergara, with Terry Crews as host.

He has also been a judge on “Britain’s Got Talent,” “The X Factor” and “American Idol.”