Sofia Vergara joins 'America's Got Talent' alongside returning judge Heidi Klum for new season of NBC's hit summer series

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Thu, Feb 27th 2020 10:05 pm

Executive Producer Simon Cowell & Howie Mandel also return as judges with Terry Crews back as host

Acclaimed actress and international superstar Sofia Vergara joins NBC’s summer hit “America’s Got Talent” as a new judge this season, alongside returning judge and global fashion icon Heidi Klum. Executive producer Simon Cowell returns to the star-studded judging panel with fan-favorite comedian Howie Mandel. Dynamic star of NBC’s “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” Terry Crews returns as host of America’s No. 1 summer show.

“I’m so happy to join my new family on ‘AGT,’ ” Vergara said. “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!”

“I’m so excited to be back at ‘AGT’ with Simon, Howie and Terry. The fact that Sofia Vergara is joining us is the icing on an already delicious cake,” Klum said.

“Sofia’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 Meredith Ahr, president, alternative and reality group, NBC Entertainment.

“As we head into our milestone 15th season, we are excited to welcome Sofia to the ‘AGT’ family,” said Trish Kinane, president of entertainment programming, Fremantle. “We are also delighted at the return of the amazing Heidi Klum and look forward to a lot of fun as these dynamic, accomplished women join Simon, Howie and host Terry Crews to inspire contestants in a fun-filled and unpredictable series.”

Vergara is coming off a historic 11-season run as Gloria Delgado-Pritchett on ABC’s hit comedy “Modern Family” where she was nominated for four Emmy Awards and four Golden Globe Awards. In addition, she was nominated four times for a SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series.

On the film side, Vergara has starred in many films, including “Hot Pursuit,” “Fading Gigolo,” “Chef,” “Wild Card,” “Happy Feet 2” and Tyler Perry’s “Meet the Browns” and “Madea Goes to Jail.”

A native of Colombia, Vergara has been named by the Hollywood Reporter and Billboard as one of the most talented and powerful women in entertainment.

Klum, who’s currently a judge on NBC’s midseason hit series “America’s Got Talent: The Champions,” returns to the “AGT” stage after serving as a judge on seasons eight through 13 (2013-18).

Supermodel, producer, entrepreneur, television personality, actress, author and fashion designer, Klum has made a great impact for numerous clients in the fashion, beauty and tech industries. She has appeared on the covers of pop culture mainstays and many influential fashion magazines.

Klum was host, co-creator and executive producer of “Project Runway” for 16 seasons. Under her tenure, the show received 14 consecutive Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Reality Competition program – the second-most nominations in the category’s history – and in 2013, she won an Emmy as Outstanding Television Host. She also hosts and executive produces Germany’s “Next Top Model,” a runaway hit in its country for 13 seasons. Her most recent endeavors include executive producing and hosting “Queen of Drags,” a German drag competition series and co-creator, host and executive producer of Amazon Prime Video’s new fashion competition series, “Making the Cut.”

Last summer, “America’s Got Talent” averaged a 2.1 rating in adults 18-49 and 11.9 million viewers overall in “live plus seven day” Nielsens. The 14th cycle of “AGT” once again dominated the summer television landscape, scoring as the most-watched entertainment program every week it aired. “Talent” easily ranked as the summer’s No. 1 most-watched entertainment series, towering by 4.4 million viewers over the next most-watched entertainment program (excluding the Wednesday “AGT”), with 11.9 million. Over the summer, “AGT” reached a total of more than 86 million viewers.

A press release noted “AGT” is also a digital/social phenomenon, amassing 3.2 billion views across all digital video platforms in 2019. “AGT” was the most-social broadcast series of 2019, excluding news and sports, with 42.8 million total interactions to date in linear metrics.

The “Got Talent” format has had more than a billion global viewers since it began airing in 2006 in America and has aired in 194 territories worldwide. “Got Talent” holds the Guinness World Records title as the Most Successful Reality Television Format in history, with more than 70 local versions produced across Europe, Asia Pacific, the Middle East, Africa and the Americas.

Auditions for the upcoming season of “America’s Got Talent” are still underway. Interested acts can submit an online audition at AGTauditions.com. To attend an upcoming taping of the show, visit https://on-camera-audiences.com/shows/Americas_Got_Talent to sign up for free tickets.

For more information, visit the official show site at: http://www.nbc.com/agt and:

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