SOFIA Vergara will be back for season 18 of America’s Got Talent, The U.S. Sun has exclusively revealed.
Viewers were recently worried that the popular judge, 50, might be finished with AGT, as she has been absent from the show's spinoff All-Stars.
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But Sofia will be back for season 18 of AGT, which will begin this summer.
The Modern Family alum has struck a verbal deal with NBC and Simon Cowell, with "contracts being finalized and an announcement imminent."
"The network wants her back and so does Simon,” an insider exclusively told The U.S. Sun.
Sofia has missed out on the All-Stars series merely due to a scheduling clash.
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The actress was busy filming Netflix series Griselda while All-Stars auditions took place in November 2022.
“She had booked that before knowing that All-Stars was locked in too,” claimed the source.
The insider told The U.S. Sun that Sofia will sit on the judging panel for season 18 alongside her co-stars Simon, Howie Mandel and Heidi Klum.
Terry Crews is also to return as host.
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FAN FEARS
Fans were previously worried that Sofia might have been dropped by the network as she has been absent from AGT: All-Stars.
The show sees the best contestants from previous series return to be crowned the greatest of all time.
The spin-off has been a huge success for NBC, with its debut earning almost 10million viewers.
But the network and Simon are still keen to get Sofia back on board for the main show and maintain the chemistry between the judges.
“The show remains the top live entertainment show on US TV and is a huge hit worldwide, so messing with that dynamic was not wanted,” said the source.
"There is huge love and respect among the four judges."
The U.S. Sun has contacted NBC for comment.
SIMON SAYS
Simon also exclusively spoke to The U.S. Sun to say he was humbled to see stars such as Kodi Lee, Mike E Winfield, and Avery Dixon return to the show.
“It was really cool and it brought back a lot of memories,” said the talent mogul. “There were a couple of moments where I did think this has all been worthwhile.
"You could not make a show called All-Stars unless you had stars.
"Certainly towards the end [of the auditions] I was quite overwhelmed. At one point I thought, 'My God they are all absolutely brilliant.’”
The contestants on AGT: All Stars, all of whom are now successful performers in their own right, do not get paid or win a cash prize for returning to the show.
They are competing just to be crowned the winner.
Simon recalled a conversation with Terry Fator, the ventriloquist who won season two of AGT and returned for All Stars.
“He did three huge Vegas mega, mega deals. He didn't need to come on this show - there is no prize or money."
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"I said, 'You have my utmost respect for doing that.'"
The finale of AGT: All-Stars airs tonight at 8/7c on NBC.
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