A premiere date has officially been announced for America’s Got Talent Season 21. The show will be returning to NBC in June, a little bit later than fans are used to. We also know when the live shows will begin this year.
When Does America’s Got Talent Season 21 Premiere?
According to NBC Insider, America’s Got Talent Season 21 will kick off with a two-hour premiere on Tuesday, June 2, 2026, at 8/7c. As usual, the season will begin with the audition phase of the competition, as hopeful acts in a variety of categories perform for the judges.
This season’s premiere date is slightly later than usual, as the show typically premieres right after Memorial Day, which is May 25 this year. It’s also the first time since Season 16 that the show has premiered in June instead of May.
Auditions for this season reportedly began in January, and they will continue through March 19. It’s also been confirmed that last season’s judging panel (Howie Mandel, Mel B, Sofia Vergara, and Simon Cowell) will be back for Season 21. Terry Crews will also be back as host.
At the start of this year’s America’s Got Talent season, new audition episodes will air weekly on Tuesday nights at 8/7c on NBC. Live shows will begin on August 18, when the show will begin to air twice a week — performance episodes on Tuesday, and results episodes on Wednesday.
During this phase of the season, voting will be open overnight for fans at home to choose which acts they want to keep in the competition. New episodes of the show will also be available for fans to stream the following day on Peacock.
Last year, Jessica Sanchez won Season 20 in a full-circle moment, as she previously competed on Season 1 as a kid. Sanchez was pregnant with her daughter Eliana at the time of her win last year. Who will be the Season 21 winner? We’ll have to wait and see.
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Jill O'Rourke Jill O’Rourke is a contributor at Talent Recap, writing news stories and recaps for shows like ‘AGT,’ ‘The Voice,’ and ‘American Idol.’ She graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in English and Film Studies, and has been writing about pop culture since 2012, with previous bylines at Crushable and A Plus. Jill spends her free time binge-watching sitcoms and daydreaming about life as a hobbit
