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Why Did Heidi Klum Leave ‘America’s Got Talent’?
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Fans have continued to speculate about the reason behind German supermodel Heidi Klum‘s Season 20 exit as a judge on America’s Got Talent. Klum has been a beloved staple on the judges’ panel of America’s favorite talent competition series since 2013. The supermodel only took one year off in that period, exiting in 2019 when she and Spice Girl Mel B were replaced by Dancing with the Stars host Julianne Hough and NAACP Image Award-winning actress Gabrielle Union.
There has been speculation online about Klum’s exit since it was announced she would be returning to her hosting duties on the fashion design series Project Runway. Fans of AGT began to worry that with news of a renewed relationship with the fashion competition series, Klum would not be returning to her role as judge in Season 20 of their favorite talent competition. Confusion arose when hopeful AGT fans noticed that Klum was still listed among the upcoming season’s judges in an announcement about cancelled LA auditions due to the recent wildfires, which has since been corrected on the official ticketing site. Although it has been confirmed that Klum will be replaced by well-known returning judge Mel B in the upcoming season, the busy supermodel has yet to comment publicly about her departure. Here is everything we know about Klum’s exit from AGT.
Heidi Klum’s Busy Schedule Speaks for Itself
Klum’s busy schedule has been the number one reason viewers have speculated she will not be returning to AGT. But, Klum was able to juggle her hosting and judges’ duties on Project Runway and AGT when she was pulling double duty on both series from 2013 to 2017. And Klum had no problem working side-by-side with Tim Gunn for three seasons on Making the Cut while holding down the judges’ table on AGT from 2020 onward. Plus, the international beauty has a resume that isn’t limited to America. Not only will she be returning to Project Runway this year, but the supermodel has also served as host and executive producer on Germany’s Next Top Model since 2006. So, it seems this time around the filming schedule might not have aligned in a way that allowed Klum to juggle each project.
A rep for AGT production recently sang Klum’s praises and sparked hope that she may return to the judges’ panel sometime in the future, saying they “would love for our paths to cross again.” Rotating out a popular judge is a staple feature of many competition series, especially when scheduling conflicts arise. The Voice, American Idol, and RuPaul’s Drag Race are just a few of the long-running competition series that consistently rotate out even the most popular of judges, only for them to return at a later date. So, Klum’s departure isn’t as outrageous as disappointed fans of AGT have made it out to be online. However, Klum not making an official announcement about her departure may actually be saying more about the issue than people think.
Does Klum’s Silence Hint at Larger Conflicts?
When Klum departed AGT back in 2019, she took to social media to express gratitude for her time on the series, with a sequence of photos featuring her fellow AGT friends. Klum’s silence about her exit this time around may only speak to her busy schedule. However, there are other rumored reasons for Klum’s departure besides her busy schedule that may inform the supermodel’s silence.
One speculation about Klum’s departure is that, after spending more than a decade on the series, Klum would have one of the highest salaries on the judges’ panel. Internal production conversations may have concluded it was time to retain a judge at a lower salary for Season 20. This theory, of course, assumes that Mel B would be returning to a lower salary than the exiting supermodel. But, the pair did serve together as judges from Seasons 8-13, so the network could have saved even more by banking on a lesser-known talent if saving on salary was the primary objective this season. It is possible the production was hoping to reassure the audience by bringing a familiar talent back to the series while saving slightly by no longer having Klum’s salary to pay. But it seems likely there is something more going on than a wage dispute.
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Salary may not have been the only factor in Klum’s departure from the talent competition series. AGT is an NBC property, and the network has deep ties in the reality TV sphere, as it owns both Peacock and Bravo. Project Runway was initially a Bravo series before it moved on to spend 11 seasons on Lifetime before there was a failed attempt to reimagine the series in Season 19 with a format change and a return to Bravo. The show stumbled after losing Klum and Gunn in 2018 as they “jumped ship” to create Making the Cut for Amazon and after the loss of Karlie Kloss as host in 2021 — who had been Klum’s replacement since 2018.
Now, the recent revival that will air in 2025 is owned by Disney’s Freeform and will stream on Disney+ and Hulu, rather than on any NBC properties. It is possible the backroom politics of the switch from being a Bravo series to a Disney property may have also affected not only Klum’s departure but her silence on the exit as well.
Heidi Klum Doesn’t Owe Anyone a Statement
Amid the speculation behind the reasons for Klum’s departure, it does feel strange that there has been no official comment from the supermodel about her exit from her longtime role in America’s favorite talent competition. But it feels like there has been a shift in Hollywood recently, where stars are increasingly feeling more inclined to remain private online. So, disappointed viewers who expect answers may need to get accustomed to not hearing directly from the stars they admire.
Let’s not forget, this is Heidi Klum. She was a supermodel in the 1990s, the era when the word became associated with celebrity and worldwide renown. She has been affiliated with such prestigious American cultural institutions as Sports Illustrated, Victoria’s Secret, Glamour, Elle, and Vogue. Klum has an impressive portfolio of fashion designers she has worked closely with, she has appeared in iconic film and TV projects like The Devil Wears Prada and Sex and the City, and that doesn’t even scratch the surface of her admirable resume on reality TV. All things considered, with her busy schedule, accomplished work history, and worldwide icon status, fans of AGT shouldn’t necessarily expect Klum to be the most accessible person in her online presence when it comes to explaining her business decisions.
America’s Got Talent is available to stream on Peacock in the U.S.
