Heidi Klum makes major 'America's Got Talent' move amid Simon Cowell's absence

Heidi Klum is all set to take Simon Cowell's seat at America’s Got Talent amid the English TV personality's absence from the reality show.

It was earlier revealed that Simon Cowell is taking a brief break from America's Got Talent due to his back surgery.

During the Wednesday episode of the NBC show, it was announced that the German American model, who has previously been on the show as a judge, will fill in for Simon in the upcoming week's three-hour special quarterfinal episode.

As America’s Got Talent is currently airing its 21st season on NBC, Heidi served as a judge on the show from season 8 to season 13 and after leaving the show in 2018 she made a return in 2020 and remained part of the reality show till 2024.

Heidi announced her exit last year after she was called back to emcee Project Runway for Freeform and Disney+.

Before Heidi, former fellow judge Kenan Thompson had taken over Simon's seat. Kenan was part of the show back in 2015 as the creator and executive producer.

As for Simon, a source previously told TMZ earlier this month that "Cowell is scheduled to have back surgery soon, and the procedure will force him to sit out several weeks of the hit NBC show."

Medical history behind Cowell's back surgery:

Simon survived a serious accident in August 2020 after falling off an electric bike at his Malibu home, which nearly broke his backbone.

On August 8, he underwent surgery which involved fusing vertebrae and inserting a metal rod and screws into his back.

During that time, he also took a break from his judging role on America's Got Talent and public appearances in order to recover.