Mel B will return to the judge’s table on Season 20 of “America’s Got Talent,” which debuts Tuesday, May 27 at 8 p.m. on NBC.
The former Spice Girl will replace Heidi Klum, who exits the series after 11 nonconsecutive seasons. Mel B joins fellow judges Simon Cowell, Howie Mandel and Sofia Vergara. Terry Crews returns to host the national talent competition for his seventh season.
Auditions for Season 20 of “America’s Got Talent” are currently underway, with virtual and in-person opportunities available for aspiring talent. Mandel will host an audition comedy showcase on Feb. 6 at the Ice House in Pasadena, Calif., and “AGT” finalist Sofie Dossi will host virtual auditions on Feb. 25. An in-person open call will take place March 10 at the Pasadena Civic Center.
Mel B first joined “America’s Got Talent” in 2013 for Season 8. She sat on the panel alongside Klum, Mandel and Howard Stern. Mel B departed the series in 2018 after six seasons, before signing on the judge the spinoff series “America’s Got Talent: The Champions” and “America’s Got Talent: Fantasy League.”
“It is absolutely brilliant to be able to announce this year as our 20th season,” said judge and executive producer Cowell in a statement. “Over the years, we have seen some amazing acts and met some truly incredible people. It’s true that two or three minutes can change your life. I want to thank every contestant, all the fans who have supported the show every year and to NBC for believing in this show. And of course, the amazing team, past and present, who make the show so special. Now as always, I am really excited to meet the contestants this year.”
More than 70 local versions of the “Got Talent” format have been produced across Europe, Asia Pacific, the Middle East, Africa and the Americas, not to mention various spinoff titles. Across all social platforms, “AGT” has received more than 26 billion video views, per NBC. In September, singer Richard Goodall, who was working as a middle school janitor, was crowned the winner of “America’s Got Talent” Season 19. Many “AGT” acts still have their own residencies on the Las Vegas Strip, including Terry Fator, Piff the Magic Dragon, Shin Lim, Mat Franco, Vicki Barbolak and Tape Face.
It seems like we’ve been talking about Volkswagen’s upcoming ID7 electric sedan for years—because we have been. The sleek EV was first uncovered back in early 2023, and before that, we’d driven a prototype. Later that year, we even drove the production model overseas, though almost immediately the ID7’s impending launch in America was delayed. It stayed that way even as VW unveiled the car’s specifications and trim level structure and expected equipment for American buyers. Until now, that is; Automotive News reports the delay has necrotized into a complete cancellation for Canada and the U.S.
The car that had been assured to land in America (originally in 2024) no longer will. That leaves Volkswagen with the ID4 electric SUV it’s been selling for a few years and the hot new ID Buzz electric van. Our last check-in with VW leadership suggests the reason for the ID7’s holding pattern: The automaker wants volume out of its products, and especially its EVs. The ID Buzz might not get there, but it’s also not really supposed to; it’s a pricey halo vehicle of sorts. The ID7’s midsize footprint and sedan shape could have been seen as liabilities in the U.S., where something smaller, taller, and more affordable—like the ID4 already on sale here—has a better shot at landing in more driveways.
Call it the Passat problem: The older, German-built Passat sedans delighted with premium, Audi-like interiors but also traded at higher transaction prices before VW shifted production to North America and gave the Passat more (affordable) pedestrian clothes. In the same way, the ID7 was shaping up to be perhaps too premium—without the attendant luxury badge to justify an expected $50,000-and-up pricing scheme—for where the market is at. Tesla’s Model 3, for example, is seen as premium, but also is competitively priced (starting well below $50k) among other mainstream long-range EVs such as the Hyundai Ioniq 6.
We’ve reached out to Volkswagen for further comment and reasoning on the move, and whether the ID7 will be supplanted by a different, possibly smaller or more affordable, ID model, and will update this space if we hear back.
