Howie Mandel has been the longest-running America’s Got Talent judge… but is his time on the show coming to an end? Here’s an update on whether he’ll be a judge on AGT Season 21.
Is Howie Mandel Returning to America’s Got Talent in 2026?
It’s extremely possible that Howie Mandel may have told his last joke on America’s Got Talent. He’s set to host the Canadian spin-off of The Price is Right, on top of his other gigs of podcast Howie Mandel Does Stuff and owning a team for the Global Gaming League. As of right now, Canada’s Got Talent is currently on a hiatus.
The Canadian spin-off of The Price is Right began production in December 2025, with a Spring 2026 CityTV premiere. If this show is set to follow the American series, they will film two episodes per day, three days a week, with an occasional additional episode day. The American version films nine out of ten months of the year with a summer hiatus, which could be good or bad for AGT.
There’s a big chance that Mandel will have an extremely tight schedule during auditions, quarter and semifinals and during the finale. If this approach is given, the odds of Mandel returning to AGT again are slim.
Will it be Like Bruno Tonioli on Britain’s Got Talent?
There’s a strong possibility that Mandel’s time on AGT will be similar to Bruno Tonioli on Britain’s Got Talent. In 2023 to 2025, Tonioli appeared as a judge alongside Simon Cowell, Alesha Dixon, and Amanda Holden. Even though his dance expertise was a great addition to the show, he ultimately had to leave the series because he didn’t have the time to dedicate to filming.
Britain’s Got Talent typically begins filming in October, while Dancing With The Stars is on in America. Tonioli made it work for three years, but recently decided that his time commitment with Dancing With The Stars was too much to appear on both.
On Reddit, fans more or less agreed with the possibility of Mandel leaving the show. Some fans even compared his place on the AGT judging panel with Blake Shelton on The Voice. Various other fans are hoping to see Howard Stern or Sharon Osbourne return to the judging panel in his place.
How do you feel about Mandel possibly not returning to the AGT judging panel? Would you be happy to see him leave the panel? Let us know on X!
