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What happened to Simon Cowell's voice? 'AGT' fans hope the judge is OK as he uses special soundboard to speak

Terry Crews said the soundboard was 'loaded up with thousands of comments' made by Simon Cowell over the years

PASADENA, CALIFORNIA: Simon Cowell, the normally sharp-tongued judge of 'America's Got Talent,' again lost his voice during Season 18 of the show. Fans are wondering what happened to Simon's voice after his fellow judge, Sofia Vergara, had to relay instructions for him to the performances only last week.

On June 27, 'AGT' Season 18 returned for the fifth night of the audition rounds, introducing viewers to a whole new batch of jaw-dropping talents and remarkable entertainers. The show's mainstays, including judges Simon, Howie Mandel, Sofia, and Heidi Klum, and presenter Terry Crews, returned to the Pasadena Civic Auditorium as another batch of hopefuls took the stage to demonstrate their abilities. After a few weeks of Simon's voice fading, his voice went almost completely out on Tuesday, leaving the outspoken judge utilizing a computerized soundboard to talk to candidates and provide input.

Simon loses voice again

The show's "mean" judge was unable to speak on Tuesday's episode, the fifth full week of Season 18 auditions, scarcely uttering a word when the first act approached the stage. Instead of sitting there like a bump on a log, Terry proposed a solution.

"Being the great person that I am, I got a gift for him," the host said at the start of the broadcast. "I have a special soundboard that has been loaded up with thousands of comments — a lot of things he’s said over the years — so we’ll be able to hear Simon Cowell."

Simon's comments from past seasons of 'AGT' were repurposed, allowing the voiceless judge to welcome and evaluate this week's batch of hopefuls, besides poking fun at colleague Howie on occasion. Simon got laryngitis in March, which, like injuring his back, turned out to be a gift in disguise as he is on his path to giving up smoking.

'They gave simon a soundboard?'

Fans quickly rushed to Twitter to share their advice for Simon. "@SimonCowell #AGT try lavender essential oil for your laryngitis. Make sure it’s consumable." Another viewer noted, "When Simon Cowell lost his voice, I first thought it was a joke because it happened after a terrible act had put a curse on him. But after it went on for awhile, I realized it was for real." One concerned fan asked, "What happened to Simon’s voice Howie? I hope he’s okay & feels better soon Howie." Once fans noticed Simon magically getting his voice back, one person tweeted, "I am so glad that Simon Cowell has his voice back!"

On Reddit, fans seemed surprised, "They gave simon a soundboard?" Another person noted, "I think they split the live show into multiple weeks. He lost his voice 75 minutes into last week’s show and got it back 75 minutes into this one." One confused fan asked, "So what was the whole point of Simon "loosing his voice" for 2 damn weeks?Was it for the iPad joke? Was it to show the kid with bad magic Was actually magical? I just don't get it." 

'America's Got Talent' Season 18 airs new episodes every Tuesday on NBC at 8 pm ET.