See Gabrielle Union and Julianne Hough in their new seats behind their red buzzers at the 'AGT' judges table.
Season 14 of America's Got Talent is currently taping auditions, and the show's newest stars look like they're having a great time.
The hit NBC reality competition series released a few first-look photos of the show's new judges, Gabrielle Union and Julianne Hough, and the pair seemed right at home sitting behind their buzzers at the judges tables.
The two newcomers are joining returning judges Howie Mandel and Simon Cowell, as well as the new official AGT host, Terry Crews, who's stepping into previous emcee Tyra Banks' shoes after Crews hosted the recent pre-taped special season of the series, America's Got Talent: The Champions.
Meanwhile, Union and Hough are replacing Mel B and Heidi Klum. The outgoing judges had been with America's Got Talent since season 8, when Klum replaced Sharon Osbourne and Mel B became the show's fourth judge, after only having three judges previously.
While serving as a reality series judge may be new to Union, Hough brings a lot of experience to the panel after years of sitting behind the judges' table on Dancing With the Stars.
A source close to the AGT production tells ET that NBC signed on the new talent simply because they wanted to "change things up," adding there wasn't any particular reason for swapping out Mel B and Heidi Klum as judges.
"It was a network decision. The show does well because it has no problem adding new people and making changes," the source adds. "Also, Heidi, Mel B and Tyra [Banks] have major projects coming up that they need to focus on. There was no drama."
Klum commemorated her final episode with the franchise following the finale of AGT: Champions last month, when she posted a heartfelt message on Instagram, alongside a sweet snapshot of herself, Crews, and her fellow judges.
"I wanted to say THANK YOU and how amazing the past six years have been while working on America’s Got Talent… I love my fellow judges and our hosts and our AMAZING CREW It’s been such an incredible experience and I will miss ALL OF YOU very much!" Klum captioned the pic. "While I may not be sitting behind the judges desk any longer, I will be watching and voting from home!"
In October, Crews spoke with ET's Denny Directo about hosting AGT: Champions, and explained that he didn't look to previous hosts Nick Cannon or Banks for advice before taking the high-profile gig.
"You know what, I specifically did not try to get any pointers from Nick or Tyra," he shared. "They're both good friends of mine, but I wanted to bring what I was going to bring, you know what I mean? I was like, I'm gonna pop my pecs, you can't tell me not to pop my pecs."
Season 14 of America's Got Talent has not yet announced a premiere date, but is expected to debut this summer. Check out the video below for more on the show's new judges.
RELATED CONTENT:
