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 on American Idol season 18 due to an interview he gave.

“I think what happened was that the acid from my stomach 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 genuinely couldn’t talk because I wanted to say so much, 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 use Sofia 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 compelled to remain silent for roughly seven days, during which time I was able to only listen.

And it was exciting because everyone had grown 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 do all the stuff afterwards that I realized how unfit I was.

And I said, “My God!” Simon went on to say, “Things like that, I believe, happen for a reason,” and that he had no intentions to give up bike anytime soon.

He said, much to his co-stars’ delight, “I’m still going to stay on my bike, I’m obsessed with these things.