AGT Host Sofía Vergara Reveals What It’s Really Like Working With Mel B

“America’s Got Talent” Season 20 premiered on NBC on May 27, and this season is already expected to be something special thanks to a change in filming format (fans will be treated to more behind-the-scenes moments), diverse talent, and a new judge joining the panel.

Simon Cowell, Sofía Vergara, and Howie Mandel have returned as judges, with Melanie Brown, formerly of the Spice Girls, replacing longtime judge Heidi Klum. The “Wannabe” singer’s inclusion in the show adds a different dynamic between the judges. In a recent interview with Deadline, Vergara discussed her feelings going into the season and what she was expecting from it.

Sofia Vergara Discusses Working With Mel B

The “Modern Family” star joined AGT as a judge for Season 15 in 2020, but she has not worked with Mel B before. “At the beginning, I was a little worried because I had never met her in person,” Vergara told Deadline on May 28. “Of course, I knew who the Spice Girls were. I loved her, but I was working with Heidi for the first five seasons. So I was a little bit scared.”

Vergara continued, “But the moment we started filming the first day, I realized that because she’s done it before, she’s approachable. She already has a relationship with Simon, a relationship with Howie, with everybody in the group. So it was very easy for her to melt in everything that we were doing before with Heidi. It’s been a great experience with her.”

Why Is AGT a Special Talent Competition?

The other judges have also given interviews about AGT Season 20, and Howie Mandel has discussed how Mel B’s inclusion has brought an interesting dynamic. “Mel B and my myself are like two annoying siblings, who enjoy annoying each other, and we have fun,” Mandel told Variety on May 27. “We do that off stage and off show equally.”

All of the judges are passionate about working on AGT. In the interview with Deadline, Vergara was joined by Cowell, and the pair discussed how social media has influenced the show, citing platforms like TikTok for their extensive reach. Cowell used Susan Boyle, who competed on “Britain’s Got Talent” in 2009, as an example, noting how her life was changed (Cowell was a judge and executive producer on the show).

“No one knew who this lady was. She was from Scotland, a little village, and she goes on ‘Britain’s Got Talent’ and within 48 hours the clip had 500 million views,” Cowell said. “You have to think about that and go — it’s hard to describe, but it’s the most unbelievable feeling. We sold the show to 30 more countries after that. It was unbelievable.”

AGT airs Tuesday nights at 8 p.m. ET on NBC. It can be streamed the day after on Peacock.