Piers Morgan is leaving America's Got Talent after six seasons.
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"I can exclusively reveal that I'm leaving America's Got Talent," Morgan announced during Wednesday night's broadcast of his Piers Morgan Tonight talk show on CNN.
Scheduling conflicts and logistical issues are the reason behind the departure, according to Morgan -- whose CNN show launched in January as a replacement for Larry King Live, which ended due to King's retirement late last year.
"I've been a judge since the show began six years ago [and] I've loved every single second, but discovered that juggling -- to my surprise -- really is a bit more difficult than I'd thought. So I'm going to focus on what will be a huge year here at CNN with the upcoming [presidential] election," quipped Morgan, who had regularly been critical of America's Got Talent's juggling auditioneers.
Morgan -- the last member of America's Got Talent's original judging panel -- concluded his announcement by thanking NBC, the show's FremantleMedia North America production company, and show creator Simon Cowell, as well as congratulating current host Nick Cannon and remaining judges Sharon Osbourne and Howie Mandel.
"I'd like to thank NBC, FreMantle, and my great friend Simon Cowell for giving me such a wonderful opportunity on that amazing show. And I want to congratulate Sharon, Howie and Nick -- who will doubtless be very relieved to learn they no longer have to work with me," he said.
America's Got Talent's initial 2006 season was hosted by Regis Philbin and featured Morgan serving alongside fellow judges Brandy Norwood and David Hasselhoff. However, Philbin and Norwood did not return for the following summer's second season and were replaced by Jerry Springer and Osbourne.
Springer served as host for America's Got Talent's second and third seasons but opted to depart the show following its 2008 edition and was replaced by Cannon, while Mandel joined the judging panel as a replacement for Hasselhoff in 2010.
About The Author: Steven Rogers
