It is recent news that Simon Cowell has signed on for another three seasons of America’s Got Talent.
Cowell, after famously being one of the three judges on Fox’s American Idol, recently made the move to AGT for its eleventh season.
Through his talent series, Cowell has discovered artists such as One Direction, Fifth Harmony and most recently, 12-year-old Grace Vanderwall, the latest winner of AGT.
“America’s Got Talent is a fantastic and, most importantly, fun show both to work on and to watch,” Cowell said. “NBC have been brilliant partners and the entire team who make this show are one of the best in the world. I’ve loved this past season and look forward to discovering more great talent together in the years to come.”
Cowell, after signing onto Season 11 of America’s Got Talent, expressed to Variety his love for AGT, saying that the timing for him to come on as a judge just wasn’t right until this past summer. “This is a very successful show, so rather than launching something new, this felt like an easier, more obvious thing to do,” he said. “I want to bring better music acts back to the show because I thought that was the only thing that was slightly missing.”
Paul Telegdy, NBC Entertainment’s president of alternative and reality group, commented on the addition of Cowell to the show: “It was terrific to see Simon in his judge’s chair this past season, bringing his unique expertise and enthusiasm to the show, night after night. His brilliance has made ‘AGT’ the industry leader that it is today and his ability to evaluate and spot talent is unmatched, so we couldn’t be happier to have him seated at the judge’s table for the next three years.”
“Simon really understands how to spot talent, but he also knows how to have fun,” Trish Kinane, AGT executive producer and Fremantle Media North America’s president of entertainment programming added. “We are delighted that he will be with us for the next three seasons, helping find the very best talent America has to offer.”
Cowell, who founded Syco Entertainment, is the genius behind the worldwide Got Talent show format; it airs in 186 countries and has the most international spinoffs of any reality show in history, which include the U.S.’s America’s Got Talent and the U.K.’s Britain’s Got Talent, on which he is a judge. Cowell also created the international X Factor format and is a judge on the British version of the show.
For AGT‘s next and 12th season in Summer 2017, Cowell will be joined by judges Mel B, Heidi Klum and Howie Mandel. Host Nick Cannon will also be returning.