In 2025, Heidi Klum left her seat on the America’s Got Talent judging panel. She was replaced by returning judge Mel B, but is it time for Klum to make her AGT comeback?
Heidi Klum Left America’s Got Talent in Season 20
Heidi Klum first joined America’s Got Talent as a judge in Season 8 of the show. She sat on the panel for six seasons, before she and fellow judge Mel B departed the show in Season 14. They were replaced by Gabrielle Union and Julianne Hough.
Union and Hough did not return for Season 15. Instead, Klum rejoined the panel alongside new judge Sofia Vergara. Judges Howie Mandel and Simon Cowell remained on the show through these casting shifts.
Klum stayed on the show as a judge through Season 19, when her Golden Buzzer act, singer Richard Goodall, won the show. Ahead of Season 20, it was announced that Klum would not be returning to the panel. Her former co-star Mel B was brought in to take her spot.
Fans had already suspected that Klum might be leaving the show, as it was previously announced that the supermodel would be returning as the host of Project Runway for a new season on Freeform.
Should Klum Return for Season 21?
When Klum’s departure from AGT was announced in February 2025, a rep for the show was quoted as saying, “We’d love for our paths to cross again.” It sounds like Klum might be welcome back in a future season.
If it works with Klum’s schedule, could we see her make a comeback in Season 21? The change might come as a relief to some fans who expressed their frustration with Mel B during the most recent season.
As Season 20 was airing, a number of fans shared their wish for Mel to leave the show, complaining that she brought too much negativity to the audition round. One fan wrote that she “kills the vibe of the show.”
In fact, some viewers even expressed a desire to see Klum return to the panel. As one user wrote on X (formerly Twitter), “please bring Heidi Klum back. Mel B just isn’t my cup of tea.” Even fans who weren’t particularly fond of Klum shared a similar sentiment, with one person writing on Reddit, “I am missing Heidi Klum which is a sentence I never thought I’d say.”
What do you think? Should Heidi Klum return to AGT next season? What do you think of Mel B as a judge? Would you prefer to see someone completely new join the panel instead? Let us know on X!
Words by:
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
