There’s a new judge in town on ‘AGT!’ Sofia Vergara is joining the judges’ table, and HollywoodLife spoke EXCLUSIVELY with longtime judge Howie Mandel about the ‘Modern Family’ star joining the show.
“It has been fantastic,” Howie Mandel told HollywoodLife at the America’s Got Talent season 15 premiere event in March 2020. “She is such a joy! I didn’t know her before, but I feel like I have known her for a long time now, and I have only worked with her for a little bit. She is beautiful, she is funny, she is smart, and she is witty. She checks every box that you would want in a co-worker and as a person and judge on this show!”
America’s Got Talent is completely new territory for Sofia Vergara. She just finished off her 11-season run as Gloria Pritchett on the critically-acclaimed sitcom Modern Family. Sofia joins the show after Gabrielle Union and Julianne Hough departed at the end of season 14. In addition, Heidi Klum is returning as a full-time judge for season 15.
Sofia becoming a judge is a full-circle moment for Simon. “I met Sofia three or four years ago, and we really hit it off,” the longtime judge told reporters, including HollywoodLife. “We ended the meeting with, ‘Let’s agree that one day we’ll work on something together.’ That’s how well we got along. So when I heard Sofia’s name was in the mix, I was so excited, but I didn’t want to jinx it so I never told anyone. But I called her and I said, ‘How are you feeling?’ She said, ‘I’m excited. I’m nervous.’ I went, ‘Perfect!’ It’s a little bit like when Terry [Crews] joined. When we first met, within five minutes, we just clicked. It felt like we’ve been working together all our lives, and we’ve become close friends through this whole process. I think Sofia was a similar kind of vibe. She just gets what the show’s all about.”
For Terry, this is a reunion for him and Sofia. He’s so excited for the energy she’s bringing to the show. “Sofia is going to be Sofia,” he told reporters. “You know what I mean? And that’s the thing. We’re literally just letting her be herself. We have a lot of history. Years ago, we did a movie called Soul Plane… The fact that we’re here together is serendipity. It feels like this was always meant to be. You feel like you’re walking in your destiny.” America’s Got Talent season 15 will air Tuesdays at 8 p.m. on NBC.