It was recently announced that Gabrielle Union and Julianne Hough would not return for the show's 2020 season.
Sofia Vergara may have a new gig!
A source close to the America's Got Talent production tells ET that "AGT and NBC honchos met with Sofia this week to discuss her joining AGT as a judge."
"Sofia and NBC have always had a great relationship. Sofia is the perfect demographic and has a huge fan base and that’s a big draw for NBC," the source says, adding that "No deal is set and no decisions have been made."
The source also notes that at Vergara's meeting, for which Fremantle and NBC were present, a variety of projects were discussed, including AGT. Fremantle is actively talking to a number of people about the open judge seats on AGT, the source adds.
TMZ was first to report the news.
AGT's potential hiring comes after news that two of its judges, Gabrielle Union and Julianne Hough, would not return for the 2020 season. After the news broke, Variety detailed Union's allegations against the show, including a "toxic culture" on set, an allegedly racially insensitive joke made by guest judge Jay Leno, a contestant whose quick-changing act reportedly included the use of dark makeup on his hands to portray Beyonce, and allegedly numerous comments from network executives about Union's hairstyles being "too black."
Union and NBC have since had a meeting together, with Union tweeting, "We had a lengthy 5-hour, and what I thought to be, productive meeting yesterday. I was able to, again, express my unfiltered truth. I led with transparency and my desire and hope for real change."
The network later mirrored Union's sentiment in its own statement.
"The initial conversation was candid and productive. While there will be a further investigation to get a deeper understanding of the facts, we are working with Gabrielle to come to a positive resolution," a NBC spokesperson told ET.
Following Union's meeting with NBC, Hough, who also left AGT, praised her former fellow judge's efforts.
"That's awesome. Oh, good. That's amazing," she told ET's Rachel Smith of Union's meeting with the network. "Honestly, we've been here doing so many rehearsals I haven't really looked at my phone, but that makes me really happy. That's such an amazing step in shifting the paradigm of the workplace and it's great."
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