Cody Simpson swapped a music career for an Olympic dream, won two Commonwealth Games medals, and then returned to the studio when swimming didn’t take him to Paris. Life seemed good, with the comeback building momentum, but his body had other ideas. A damaged vocal cord, surgery, and then a dislocated knee during rehearsals have left the ex-swimmer in tatters.

In an emotional but hopeful post on Instagram, the 29-year-old laid it all bare and revealed how his body simply broke down after pushing it.

“The universe is serving it to me this year!” Simpson wrote on Instagram. “An update on where I’ve been: I’ve been on and off vocal rest for close to 3 months trying to heal a damaged vocal cord.

“We decided to operate to aid the recovery, then I discolated my knee rehearsing for a new music video and we had to push surgery back to let my knee settle. I can’t walk or talk for some time now, and no singing or dancing for months to come.”

The Australian first rose to fame as a pop star before returning to competitive swimming in 2019. A talented swimmer as a child, Simpson stepped away from the pool for nearly a decade to pursue music, releasing multiple studio albums, touring internationally, and building a successful career in entertainment.

That included supporting Justin Bieber during the European leg of his Believe Tour and headlining the Paradise Tour in 2013. Aside from that, Cody Simpson also starred on season 18 of Dancing with the Stars, formed a new band and released several songs. He became uber-famous during his relationships with pop star Miley Cyrus, reality star Kylie Jenner, and model Gigi Hadid. 

However, in 2019, he decided to challenge for a spot at the Paris Olympics and returned to the pool. Even though he enjoyed success at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, Simpson ultimately fell short of qualifying for the 2024 Olympics. He announced his retirement from competitive swimming soon after before returning to music in 2026, releasing singles including “Baby Blue” and “When It Comes to Loving You.”

Since then, Simpson has been pushing it to the limit, especially after he announced a new album.

“I’ve been pushing my body and mind for years now non-stop and I’m taking time to reflect and understand this for what it is: forced rest,” Simpson added. “The album and live shows have to wait, but I’ve got some work to share while I’m down for the count. You can’t hold me down! I’ll be back stronger❤️.”

Despite dislocating his knee during production, Simpson revealed that the music video was still completed, writing, “FYI, we still shot the music video..”

Although Simpson’s swimming career ended without an Olympic appearance, it remained one of the most rewarding chapters of his life. Reflecting after his retirement in 2024, the Australian admitted that representing the Dolphins meant more than he had ever imagined.

Cody Simpson reflects on being a part of Australia’s swim team

A swimmer turned chart-topper turned swimmer once again, Cody Simpson put a flourishing music career on hold to chase an Olympic dream. He returned to the pool in 2019, initially training under Dave Salo before later switching to Michael Bohl at Griffith University after falling short of qualification for the postponed Tokyo Olympics.

His efforts paid off as he earned selection for Australia’s 2022 Commonwealth Games team following Isaac Cooper’s withdrawal. While Simpson missed out on an individual medal after finishing fourth in the 100m butterfly final, he helped Australia win gold in the men’s 4x100m freestyle relay and silver in the men’s 4x100m medley relay.

However, his Olympic hopes ended at the 2024 Australian Swimming Trials in Brisbane, where he finished fifth in the 100m butterfly final and missed Swimming Australia’s qualifying time by just over half a second. The result prompted the then-27-year-old to announce his retirement from competitive swimming.

“I made sure I was a gangster in my training, meticulous in my preparation and fearless in my competing every step of the way,” Simpson said, according to Nine.

“I’m grateful for a huge run in the short amount of time I have been a professional athlete and I wouldn’t trade a moment. I promise I will never stop trying to do special things with my life.

“Shoot for the moon, land among the stars. My shot has landed me in a constellation of stars otherwise known as that elusive club, the Australian Swim Team, forever.”

Earlier, after missing out on Paris, Simpson had also reflected on his four-year comeback, saying, “I left nothing to the unknown these past four years… I put my pedal to the floor every day.” He added that swimming had given him “discipline and resilience” that he was excited to carry back into music and entertainment.

Cody Simpson has already reinvented himself more than once, first as a musician, then as a swimmer, and now as an artist once again. For now, though, his biggest challenge is simply recovering well enough to return to the stage when the time is right.