The British tabs called it: Former Deal or No Deal host Howie Mandel will be replacing David Hasselhoff at the judge’s table on America’s Got Talent, NBC Universal Television Entertainment Chairman Jeff Gaspin confirmed on Sunday morning at NBC’s Television Critics Association panel.
The germaphobic star will join stars Piers Morgan and Sharon Osbourne when the show returns for a fifth season this summer. Last Wednesday, Hasselhoff announced his departure from the reality competition, along with plans to start his own TV show.
“”David is leaving America’s Got Talent and, yes, Howie Mandel is replacing him. As you know, Howie was a big part of our schedule for the last several years with ‘Deal or No Deal,’ and we thought he did a phenomenal job,” Jeff told reporters following this morning’s panel. “If you think about an expertise, Howie has had a Las Vegas show for years and he constantly performs in Las Vegas. So we actually though — not only is he a great communicator, but he’s actually an expert.”
Gaspin also confirmed that the network is no longer making new episodes of Deal or No Deal, but the game show is still in syndication.
“We are not doing any more ‘Deals’ for NBC currently,” he explained.