See Every America’s Got Talent Judge and Host from Season 1 to Now

Regis Philbin

Role: Host

Season(s): 1

Veteran TV icon Regis Philbin kicked off the premiere season of AGT in 2006 as the show’s very first host. He worked alongside the season 1 panel of judges to eventually crown Bianca Ryan as the winner.

Still, according to Variety, his short-lived gig ended because of his “heavy travel schedule” between filming AGT and Live! with Regis and Kelly.

Piers Morgan

Role: Judge

Season(s): 1–6

Piers Morgan was part of the original judging cast alongside David Hasselhoff and Brandy. The British journalist and TV personality remained on the show for six seasons until he revealed on Piers Morgan Tonight in 2011 that he would be stepping down.

“I’ve loved every single second, but discovered that juggling, to my surprise, really is a bit more difficult than I thought,” Morgan said during his exit announcement, reported by Reuters in November of that year.

The move allowed Morgan to replace Larry King and his longtime CNN show, Larry King Live, with his show, Piers Morgan Live, after King announced his retirement in 2010.

David Hasselhoff

Role: Judge

Season(s): 1–4

The former Baywatch alum held his post as an AGT judge for four seasons until Hasselhoff told PEOPLE in 2010 that he wouald be stepping down to pursue his own TV show.

“I am proud that I was part of making America’s Got Talent the No. 1 rated show for the past four summers,” he said in an exclusive statement. “It’s been a rewarding experience, and now I’m thrilled to be able to follow my dream to do my own TV show, which will be announced very shortly.”

The reality show A&E had set in motion for the star, The Hasselhoffs, was pulled off air after only two episodes. The series was supposed to follow Hasselhoff as he helped his two daughters, Taylor Ann and Hayley, launch their music careers. However, the first episode drew 718,000 viewers, and the second dropped to 505,000, which likely influenced the decision to end the show.

Sharon Osbourne

Role: Judge

Season(s): 2–7

After stepping in for Brandy, Osbourne spent the next six seasons on the show as a judge. While the British TV personality explained to her former The Talk co-hosts that it was “a great show to work on.”

“Everybody’s experience on a show is different, and I was at that show for six years. I didn’t get let go,” Osbourne said on The Talk in December 2019.

She continued, “I left. And that’s the truth. I left because [of] NBC, not because of the show. I had my own problems with the network.”

“I don’t know about any of her concerns about the show,” Osbourne said of future judge Gabrielle Union’s controversial firing in November of that year, in which Union was let go after she had expressed concerns over racial- and gender-insensitive situations during her time on the show.

Osbourne added, “Obviously, there wasn’t anybody of color on the panel when I was there. So, I honestly can’t say. But when I was there, it was, you know, a great show to work on.”

Jerry Springer

Role: Host

Season(s): 2–3

Jerry Springer assumed hosting duties upon Philbin’s departure before leaving in 2009 to focus on his starring role as lawyer Billy Flynn in the London production of Chicago, per the New York Post.

“Maybe one day I’ll host again,” he told the publication, “but right now I’m grabbing this opportunity.”

Springer also shared that he left on amicable terms with NBC.

“NBC was very nice to me, and they were totally okay with [my leaving],” he said. “The truth is, they probably want someone who’s younger and better-looking than me anyway — and that’s not hard to find, honestly.”

Nick Cannon

Role: Host

Season(s): 4–11

Nick Cannon hit the ground running after taking Springer’s spot as host on season 4, but after his lengthy stay, he left on shaky terms with NBC.

The Wild ‘n Out creator announced on Facebook in February 2017 that he would not be returning to host after “Executives” allegedly threatened to fire him because of a joke in his Showtime comedy special.

“So I wish AGT and NBC the best in its upcoming season but I can not see myself returning,” Cannon wrote. “This hurts tremendously. I felt like I was apart of the fabric of our great nation every summer, representing every culture, age, gender, and demographic. Now for the rug to be pulled from underneath me and to be publicly reprimanded and ridiculed over a joke about my own race is completely wrong and I have to do something about it.”

Reps for NBC and Cannon did not respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment at the time.

Cannon was not out of a hosting gig for long, though. He took up the role on Fox’s The Masked Singer beginning in January 2019 and, aside from a handful of missed episodes in the fifth season due to testing positive for COVID-19, has been the only permanent host on the program thus far.

Howard Stern

Role: Judge

Season(s): 7–10

Howard Stern took Morgan’s spot when he left after season 6, and he stayed until taking a final bow in 2015.

“I really, really did struggle with this decision because I’ve been working a long time. I really wanted to decide if this was going to take away too much free time,” the veteran radio host shared on his show, The Howard Stern Show, in November 2013 before returning for a third season.

However, he ended up sticking around for another season past that.

In December 2019, after Union was fired, the former AGT judge stood up for the actress and accused series creator Cowell of orchestrating the situation.

“He sets it up that the men stay, no matter how ugly they are, no matter how old they are, no matter how fat they are, no matter how talentless they are,” Stern said on his radio show, referring to Union and former ousted judge Julianne Hough and the “excessive notes” (via Variety) they both reportedly received on their physical appearance during their time as judges.

Stern added, “But what he manages to do on all his shows is he constantly replaces the hot chicks with hotter chicks and younger chicks. Which is so obvious.”

At the time, a rep for Cowell did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment regarding Stern’s remarks.

Howie Mandel

Role: Judge

Season(s): 4–present

Once Hasselhoff left after season 3, Mandel stepped in as judge in 2010 and has continued his role as the longest-serving panelist on AGT.

“The first word that comes to mind is unbelievable. I would never have dreamed that I would be here 10 years,” Mandel told PEOPLE in May 2019.

He continued, “I was a fan of this show from the premiere, and I had seen some amazing talent. I’m fascinated by anybody and anything that’s willing to get onstage and try to conjure an audience reaction.”

Though he attributes his success to being “gorgeous and authentic,” Mandel also said, “I think if I had to put one word on why NBC keeps me on the show, I would say affordable. I would like other people to know I’m affordable. It doesn’t cost you that much, I’ll show up.”

Melanie “Mel B” Brown

Role: Judge

Season(s): 8–13; 20

Following Osbourne’s exit, the former Spice Girls member joined the panel and held things down for the Brits until she left in February 2019. When she parted ways with the show at the time, Mel B (née Melanie Brown) already had plans lined up to travel across the U.K. for the 2019 Spice Girls reunion tour.

During season 12 of the show, the star infamously threw water on fellow judge Cowell and stormed off the stage after he made a crude joke about her wedding night. The incident went down while Brown was in the middle of a divorce from estranged husband Stephen Belafonte.

Mel B departed after a six-season stint as a judge; however, she announced her return to the show for its double-decade celebration season, replacing Klum.

“I’m beyond thrilled to be back at AGT — not only is it the 20th anniversary of the show, but it’s also a real homecoming for me, and I couldn’t be happier or more excited to be back,” she told PEOPLE in an exclusive statement in March 2025.

“So fasten your seatbelts, everyone, because I’m here, and I’m going to stir things up and be my usual loud, proud, Scary Spice self,” she teased. “This season is going to be unmissable!”

Though Mel B left AGT in 2019, it wasn’t until May 2025 that she publicly shared the reason for her departure.

“I got kind of laid off and fired,” she said during an appearance on the Today show alongside fellow season 20 judge Mandel and host Terry Crews. “But yeah, I’m back now.”

Heidi Klum

Role: Judge

Season(s): 8–13; 15–19

Klum started as a judge alongside Mel B on season 8, and they made their exit at the same time after season 13.

A source close to the AGT production told Entertainment Tonight in February 2019 that NBC wanted to “change things up” when execs decided to say goodbye to both the German supermodel and Spice Girl.

“It was a network decision. The show does well because it has no problem adding new people and making changes,” the source said. “There was no drama.”

Further proof there was no ill will when Klum left is her return to season 2 of the spinoff America’s Got Talent: Champions and season 15 of AGT in 2020.

“It’s official — I’m coming back for #AGTChampions! I can’t wait to be back at my favorite desk,” Klum announced on X (formerly Twitter) in September 2019.

Klum’s second stint and comeback to the judges’ panel on America’s Got Talent lasted five seasons, with Mel B announced as her replacement for season 20.

Simon Cowell

Role: Judge

Season(s): 11–present

After Stern left the show, creator Cowell stepped in to become a judge and has been ever since. He came under a lot of scrutiny over how the 2019 firings of Union and Hough were handled.

A source told PEOPLE that Cowell got what he asked for a majority of the time, saying, “It’s true that America’s Got Talent is a boy’s club. Simon runs the show, and as long as he’s there, he will continue to do so.”

“Everything goes by him, and he’s rubbed a lot of people the wrong way,” the source explained, adding that people who work on the show will rarely “tell him, ‘no.’ ”

The 20th season marks Cowell’s 10th anniversary as a judge, but AGT almost didn’t happen at all.

“It was a very difficult show to sell actually, to be honest with you,” Cowell shared exclusively in a May 2025 issue of PEOPLE. “Because we made a pilot, and the pilot was dreadful, I mean really, really bad. So, it was dead.”

When NBC called Cowell inquiring about the series, he remembered having just “seven minutes of this pilot,” which he described as “just about watchable,” though he told the network the show was “brilliant.”

Cowell ended up inviting network executives to watch a preview of the show.

“They came over, and I just showed two minutes or three minutes of this show. And they loved it. They bought it. And that was it,” Cowell said, adding, “If they hadn’t made that call or come to my house that day, we wouldn’t be having this conversation today because the show, honestly, it was over.”

Terry Crews

Role: Host

Season(s): 14–present

By 2019, a whole new group joined the cast, including now-host Crews.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine actor and former NFL player — who also hosted The Champions iteration of the NBC talent competition show in 2019 and 2020 — took over for Banks as Union and Hough stepped in to take over for Mel B and Klum as judges.

“One of the many secrets to the success and longevity of America’s Got Talent is its fearless drive to reinvent itself,” Meredith Ahr, former president of the alternative and reality group at NBC Entertainment, told PEOPLE in a February 2019 statement.

Ahr continued, “The next evolution of the format brings in fresh expert eyes to join Simon and Howie on the panel. Gabrielle and Julianne are two of the most aspirational women in the business, on top of being electric entertainers with talent across disciplines. I am excited to see how their knowledge, compassion and sheer joy enhance the experience for acts and viewers alike. As their partner in crime, host Terry Crews will continue to light up the stage with his quick wit and unending charm.”

After Union and Hough were fired, Crews appeared on the 3rd Hour of Today. In a January 2020 interview, he addressed Union’s reported allegations of racial insensitivity and a toxic culture at AGT.

“First of all, I can’t speak for sexism because I’m not a woman, but I can speak on behalf of any racism comments,” he said. “That was never my experience … in fact, it was the most diverse place I have ever been in my 20 years of entertainment.”

His words prompted Union to respond to some fans on X (formerly Twitter) who were posting support on her behalf. Crews, facing backlash for his on-air comments about Union’s departure from AGT, later posted his own cryptic tweets about being loyal to his wife.

Ahead of AGT’s 20th season in May 2025, Crews exclusively told PEOPLE that he would never want to be a judge on the show.

“That’s not my thing,” he said of being one of the celebs on the panel. “I mean, I am 100% the bodyguard of talent because when I look at all the people that come through here, they just remind me of me.”

He went on to explain that he likes being there to support the contestants, regardless of how they’ve performed.

“I’m the counselor when they go on. I give them all the good advice when they come off. If it didn’t go well, I console them,” Crews said. “So I love that.”

Gabrielle Union and Julianne Hough

Role: Judges

Season(s): 14

Variety was the first to report in November 2019 that Union and Hough were not returning to the show after only judging one season.

The following week, the publication reported that the reason for their firing was a result of the “toxic” workplace culture. This secondary report claimed that Union had expressed concerns over racially insensitive situations during her time as a judge, including a joke guest judge Jay Leno said that was later edited out of the episode.

It also said that both Union and Hough were subject to “excessive notes” on their physical appearance. Hough denied reports of a negative experience to Variety but has also spoken out in support of Union since.

A spokesperson for NBC and production company Fremantle responded to the claims with a statement to PEOPLE, saying: “America’s Got Talent has a long history of inclusivity and diversity in both our talent and the acts championed by the show. The judging and host lineup has been regularly refreshed over the years, and that is one of the reasons for AGT‘s enduring popularity. NBC and the producers take any issues on set seriously.”

After that, many celebrities — including Union’s husband Dwyane Wade, Ellen Pompeo, former judge Stern and Eva Longoria — spoke out to support the stars after the controversial firing.

NBC launched an investigation into the show after having a five-hour meeting with Union.

“The initial conversation was candid and productive,” an NBC spokesperson said in a statement to PEOPLE in December 2019 about the sit-down with Union.

The spokesperson added, “While there will be a further investigation to get a deeper understanding of the facts, we are working with Gabrielle to come to a positive resolution.”

Though the investigation had been projected to wrap in January 2020, it concluded in May instead.

NBC released a statement about the results.

“Through the investigation process, it has been revealed that no one associated with the show made any insensitive or derogatory remarks about Ms. Union’s appearance and that neither race nor gender was a contributing factor in the advancement or elimination of contestants at any time,” the statement said, per Deadline. “The investigation has shown that the concerns raised by Ms. Union had no bearing on the decision not to exercise the option on her contract.”

In June 2020, Union filed a complaint against NBC Universal, AGT creator and fellow judge Cowell and the production companies Fremantle and Syco.

That August, former NBC Entertainment chairman Paul Telegdy left after being investigated for housing a toxic work environment, according to TVLine. A month later, Deadline reported that NBC and Union came to a deal over her misconduct and racial and discrimination claims, and the publication “learned that Union received ‘significant’ compensation from the network.”

Sofía Vergara

Role: Judge

Season(s): 15–present

Upon saying farewell to Modern Family after 11 seasons, Vergara officially signed on to be a judge on AGT for season 15, PEOPLE confirmed in February 2020.

Vergara said in a statement, “I’m so happy to join my new family on AGT. This is a new and exciting next chapter for me, and I’m extremely proud to be the first Latin judge on the show. I can’t wait to watch all the talent and have fun with all you guys!”

“Sofía’s infectious energy and sharp wit will blend perfectly with returning favorites Heidi, Simon, Howie and Terry. As both a respected actress and successful entrepreneur, she embodies the American dream that is synonymous with AGT‘s transformative stage,” said Ahr at the time.

A staple on the AGT judges’ panel since 2020, the Griselda star helped make series history on season 19 when she was the first judge to use the Live Show Golden Buzzer — an added twist to the competition series which, when pressed, sends an act straight to the finals.

On the first live show of season 19, Vergara hit her Live Show Golden Buzzer for Hakuna Matata Acrobatics, who had impressed all the judges.

“This was perfection!” Vergara declared the performance after single-handedly advancing the Tanzanian group to the finals. “Everything, all of it!”