‘America’s Got Talent’ signs Simon Cowell through 2019

AGT -We already knew that Simon Cowell would be around on “America’s Got Talent” next year alongside host Nick Cannon and the same judges from this past season in Heidi Klum, Mel B, and Howie Mandel. Today, we learned that the music mogul will be around for a couple more years beyond that.

NBC confirmed that Cowell, who is responsible for creating the global “Got Talent” franchise and also appears on the British version, will be a judge on the show through 2019. This move comes after “America’s Got Talent” drew its strongest ratings in five years for the finale last month, which saw singer Grace VanderWaal win the title of magician Jon Dorenbos and mentalist act The Clairvoyants. In a statement, here is what Cowell had to say:

“America’s Got Talent is a fantastic and — most importantly — fun show both to work on and to watch … 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.”

We personally love this news. We admit that we were skeptical of Simon becoming a part of this show after the American “X Factor” fizzled and was borderline unwatchable, there’s something about him in this format that is particularly joyous. We also think that some changes in his personal life, which include him having a child, has led to a more spirited and sympathetic version of him than the one famous for brutal honesty and harsh barbs. We started to feel like that Simon was a little played out.

Now, “America’s Got Talent” is arguably our second favorite talent competition on TV, behind only the British equivalent. (Go search for Simon Cowell and David Walliams on YouTube; the results are amazing.)

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