Summary
- Howard Stern joined America's Got Talent in 2012 but the show's ratings were not what producers hoped for during his time as a judge.
- Despite rumors, Howard claims that he chose to leave the show due to a busy schedule and a career evaluation.
- Simon Cowell reportedly wanted Howard fired so he could take his place on AGT, as revealed in leaked emails between executives.
Howard Stern first appeared on America's Got Talent in 2012, and he was a judge through 117 episodes of the show. His final episode was sometime in 2015. On its own, AGT hasn't always been a smash hit, at least not to the epic proportions that shows like The Voice or American Idol have reached. Yet the series had enough viewers to continue on season after season; the show premiered in 2006 and was still going strong through 2023.
While producers clearly expected Howard Stern to be a hit on the series, it didn't exactly turn out that way. Instead, after a few years, Howard was replaced by Simon Cowell in a move that turned out to be premeditated.
Howard Stern Was On America's Got Talent From 2012 To 2015
In 2012, Howard joined AGT upon the first episode. From that point on, America's Got Talent ratings with Howard Stern were not what producers were hoping for.
After the season premiere, multiple outlets reported that AGT viewership was down, and E! Online even titled an article about the issue with "Did Howard Stern Kill America's Got Talent?"
Whether he ran the show into the ground or not, Howard's appearance coincided with a severe ratings drop; the 2012 season premiere attracted 5 million fewer viewers than the 2011 premiere.
There were some caveats, however; the show was also competing "against end-of-the-season competition," noted E!, and didn't do terribly well in comparison.
Whatever the initial reason was for the ratings drop, NBC kept Howard for a total of four years.
Since the show seemed to run just fine with Howard on the cast, many wondered why Howard Stern left America's Got Talent at the end of that four-year period, and whether he was fired.
Howard Stern left AGT in 2015, and his was a very public departure. Howard gave his own reasons for leaving the show, and no one thought too much of it. Right away, Howard was replaced by Simon Cowell, who had previously only appeared in Season 8's finale in 2013.
In 2016, at the start of season 11, Simon was suddenly a judge, and fans were happy enough to see him there. The veteran judge had already spent years on Britain's Got Talent, The X Factor UK, The Extra Factor, and, of course, American Idol.
But it turned out that the move to slide Simon into Howard's spot might not have been a result of Howard deciding to leave. At least, not according to leaked documents between brand executives who oversaw the show.
Howard Maintains There Are Multiple Reasons Why He Left AGT
Despite the rumors swirling about the true nature of his departure from America's Got Talent, Howard Stern never seemed to admit the "real" reason he left. In fact, he's given plenty of reasons why, according to him, he chose to leave.
On his radio show, Howard explained he was going through a "career evaluation," explaining that he was simply too busy to keep up with everything on his professional plate. He even stated that NBC had asked him what his "intentions" were, and he said he thought it would be his last season.
That clearly does not align with the rumors that Howard not only had a contract of a specific length (though he seemed to hint that he was gracing the show with his presence year by year) but that it was NBC that chose not to renew it.
Rather than firing him mid-contract, which would probably invite a lawsuit, it is assumed that NBC let Howard's time on the show run its course, but toward the end of his run, they were actively looking at other options.
Fortunately for them, one option came knocking.
Simon Cowell Reportedly Wanted Howard Stern Fired So He Could Take His Place On AGT
Wikileaks published a 2014 email from Michael Lynton (at Sony) to Steve Burke (at NBCUniversal) that laid out what was going on behind the scenes amid Howard's AGT contract coming to an end.
The email stated that Lynton had met with Simon Cowell the day prior and that Simon was "thinking that the right thing to do would be for him to star in the show, not Howard Stern, and move it to Los Angeles (where it would be cheaper to produce)."
The email detailed Simon's availability, then concluded with, "We have a big overall deal with Simon and own his music company and half of all the television shows he produces."
It seemed very clear from the email details that Simon was the driving force behind NBC letting Howard go, and Simon's success in the UK market (Lynton called the UK show "hugely successful and a better show") was very attractive to Sony and NBC.
As for Howard Stern's reaction to the leak, it doesn't appear that he ever commented on the issue. However, he is not a fan of Simon, as evidenced by his dragging Simon for firing Gabrielle Union and Julianne Hough from AGT.
A choice quote from Howard had him calling Simon a "freak" and suggesting that he "constantly replaces the hot chicks with hotter chicks and younger chicks. Which is so obvious."
As for Simon's time on AGT, the judge has said he wants his young son to replace him on the show, which may or may not be within his power to do.
