AMERICA’S Got Talent audience SLAMMED Howie Mandel as “rude” for joking during a unicycle act about Simon Cowell breaking his back in a scary bike crash.
The judges are known for their friendly banter and the comedian is no stranger to giving his British co-star a hard time but some fans insist he took it too far this week.
On tonight’s episode of the NBC talent show, Japanese group UniCircle Flow stunned the panel with an impressive act.
The dance group performed on unicycles to an energetic routine, which they compare similar to figure skating.
Despite the intricate moves and high level of technical skill, UniCircle Flow performed flawlessly with no apparent mistakes or injuries.
The smoothness of the dangerous act shocked Howie, 65, who couldn’t give up a chance to poke fun at his pal.
“Simon, does seeing bikes scare you?” the comic sincerely asked.
In response, Simon, 61, said: “Well, now that you mention it…” before he let out a big grin.
Following their performance, Howie brought the topic up once again, and quipped: “You guys were terrific.
“And wow, even with one wheel, what a great example you are to Simon showing him how to balance.
“I don’t know if you know what happened to him but that was with TWO wheels and no dancing at all.”
The American Idol alum did not appear amused by the comment and didn’t acknowledge it, but praised the group in his critique.
“It was amazing and one of the most unique acts we’ve seen on AGT. I was blown away by this. Best audition of the day,” Simon gushed.
While it was apparent the Deal Or No Deal host was simply giving his buddy a hard time, some members of the AGT audience weren’t amused.
“Why Howie brought up Simon accident? Rude… glad you are back Simon,” someone tweeted.
Another exclaimed: “Wow Simon break his back falling off a bike & Howie is making jokes about it!”
“I feel like as long as any motorcycle, bike, unicycle, etc. acts are on this season, Howie will NOT let Simon live that down,” a third said.
Last year, Simon was left nearly paralyzed when he fell from his electric bike at his Malibu home – which forced him to take a hiatus from AGT.
He broke three vertebrae, and just missed his spinal cord by a centimeter, in the horrendous fall.
The star fell backwards and smashed down on to a concrete floor in front of his horrified son Eric, six, and partner Lauren Silverman’s teenage son Adam from a previous relationship.
The star was rushed to Providence Saint John’s hospital in Santa Monica, where he underwent his surgery.
Simon later confessed to fans that he had not read the instruction manual before trying out his new toy.
