Simon Cowell's odd behavior on American Idol: Why doesn't the judge talk during Season 18?

The music mogul had a health issue while filming.

Simon Cowell has a reputation for having a quick wit and making incisive comments, so it surprised many when the 63-year-old appeared more reserved than usual during season 18 of American Idol.

Simon stayed mute, but not out of disinterest, as co-stars Heidi Klum, Sofia Vergara, and Howie Mandel talked about auditions.

Due to a medical issue, Simon hasn’t been speaking much during AGT season 18 as he mentioned in an interview with USA Today.

“I think what happened was that the acid from my stomach literally burned my vocal cords,” he said. I was able to see how severely burned my nose and throat were thanks to the doctor who came over and put a camera up my nose and down my throat.

I simply couldn’t talk because I had so much to say about auditions, he continued. “We made an effort to write. I once used an iPad tablet to keep track of items I’d previously said. I tried to get Sofa to translate for me, but she deliberately said the wrong things. Thus, it was chaos.

During the auditions, Simon claimed that remaining mute for a week allowed him to gain new insight.

I was forced to remain silent for around seven days, so my only option was to observe the other judges.

And it was fascinating because everyone had become confident enough to express their preferences. We certainly disagreed more this year as a result but in a positive way. You can’t judge this show while being an expert on everything due to the variety of acts.

In May, Simon discussed how his life had been impacted by a series of health difficulties that had recently occurred, including two bike accidents.

He said on The Today Show, “It was painful, it wasn’t ideal, but I was so unfit before the accident. And it wasn’t until I had to complete all the necessary tasks thereafter that I realized how unfit I was.