"America's Got Talent" is getting a hearty dose of Howard Stern for Season 7 (premiering Monday, May 14 at 8 p.m. ET on NBC) and host Nick Cannon and judge Howie Mandel welcomed the new dynamic.
"He's great man, it's like one big happy family," Cannon told The Huffington Post at the NBC upfronts about the show's new dynamic.
Stern joined the judges panel for Season 7 after Piers Morgan left to focus on his CNN talk show. But don't expect any shock jock antics. "'America's Got Talent' is a family show, and I have been disrespecting family values for years," Stern joked at a recent press conference. "I respect what 'AGT' is. It's a family show. I've been watching it for years ... it's a different form of entertainment ... I know the rules ... I'm 58 years old!"
Mandel said working with Stern is a mutually respectful friendship. "It's like summer camp, honestly. Like you look forward to it," he told HuffPost at the upfronts. "This summer we get to hang out with each other and we're all over the country. You can't ask for more.
"To be witness to people creating entertainment -- not necessarily specifically singing or dancing -- and watch them become household names and maybe even be part of it in our constructive criticism, has been nothing but a joy," Mandel said.
Over the years, "America's Got Talent" has brought may acts to the American public. From Prince Poppycock to jugglers, "AGT" is not just a singing and dance competition and after years of seeing hundreds of people, there are a few who have left quite the impression on Cannon.
"I would say Sponjetta. She came on -- a singer/songwriter that we met in Atlanta -- and she had a song about her studio," Cannon said when asked about the show's memorable acts. "And of course, Jackie Evancho. She shows that these shows actually do discover talent and actually go on. She's going to be around for the next 50 years doing what she did and the first place you saw her was on 'America's Got Talent.'"
"America's Got Talent" premieres Monday, May 14 at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.
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