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Will America’s Got Talent have a new panel of judges in Season 20? The long-running talent show competition has seen judges come and go over the years but the most recent lineup has been consistent for a number of seasons. See what’s planned for 2025.

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America’s Got Talent Judges 2025: Who’s Coming Back For Season 20?

The most recent lineup of America’s Got Talent judges is Simon Cowell, Howie Mandel, Heidi Klum, and Sofia Vergara. Vergara is the newest member of the panel, having joined the America’s Got Talent judges in Season 15 — she most recently completed her fifth season. The actress seems the most likely to leave the show ahead of Season 20, given that she may have other projects.

She was missing from the judges panel on America’s Got Talent: Fantasy League, an AGT spinoff, which aired its first season from January to February 2024. Mel B replaced Vergara for the spinoff. During the America’s Got Talent Season 18 finale in October 2023, host Terry Crews asked the actress, “Wait Sofia, you’ll be back on NBC next season right?” She responded, “Maybe. Maybe if Simon…” then she confirmed, “Yes, I’m back!”

At the time, Vergara noted that because she “had other things to do” she was unable to sit as a judge for the America’s Got Talent: Fantasy League. She didn’t elaborate on what she had to do, but she was starring in the Netflix limited series Griselda, playing Griselda Blanco.

Vergara has not confirmed any upcoming projects, but as a working actress, she is the most likely to leave AGT after Season 19. In an AGT Reddit discussion about the Season 20 judges, some fans speculated who might leave. One fan predicted, “I think they’ll all be back,” while another speculated there could be a “shakeup with one of the women leaving or both.”

Another fan wrote, “I think Simon, Howie, and likely Heidi return. I’d be really surprised if Sofia does. I think they pick someone new, too, out of nowhere. Not a returning judge.” One AGT viewer noted, “The panel’s definitely got some great chemistry but something tells me they’re gonna have a change. Most likely Sofia leaving due to other commitments.”

Mandel is the longest-running judge on AGT. He’s been on the panel since Season 5 and has sat at the table for 15 consecutive seasons. He first joined the show in January 2010, replacing David Hasselhoff.

In a September 2023 interview with NBC Insider, he revealed what it’s like to sit on the panel. It sounds like he’s had such a great time with the gig that he’ll be returning for Season 20. “There are people that are sitting around every Tuesday and Wednesday night, or even online, sitting with their friends on a couch, just viewing this, and saying, ‘Look at this, and watch this,’” he said. “I don’t feel like I show up at work; I feel like I’m sitting on the couch with a bunch of my friends, just saying what I think. And that comfort allows me just to be honest and real.” Klum joined in Season 8, left during Season 14, and returned again to the judges table in Season 15.

 

More: See How the Golden Buzzer on America’s Got Talent Works

Cowell joined in Season 11 and has continued to serve as an AGT judge since then. Could he be heading for retirement though? In a September 2023 interview with The Sun, he addressed the rumors he might retire. “Sometimes you get tired,” he admitted. “Seriously, I remember thinking this time last year I felt knackered and then this year I just feel better. Also, some things just happened to come my way, which was very fortunate.”

Cowell continued, “There were a couple of things I wanted to do, which I just decided to do, like this boy band thing. I have been thinking about it for years and it’s like, ‘God, if I don’t do it now, then I’ll never do it.’ Sometimes you’ve got to dive and just do it.”