Brad Paisley, Ellie Kemper, Jay Leno to be Guest Judges on ‘America’s Got Talent’

By Michael Malone
( Broadcasting & Cable )
published

Country star Brad Paisley, NBA standout Dwyane Wade, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt star Ellie Kemper and former Tonight Show host Jay Leno will be guest judges on NBC’s America’s Got Talent this summer. Paisley will be on July 16, Wade is on July 23, Kemper is on July 30 and Leno turns up Aug. 6.

Wade is married to America’s Got Talent judge Gabrielle Union. Her fellow judges are Simon Cowell, Julianne Hough and Howie Mandel.

Terry Crews hosts.

Each guest judge will have a Golden Buzzer to award an act a spot in the live shows.

Five acts have received Golden Buzzers so far: Detroit Youth Choir, violinist Tyler Butler-Figueroa, and singers Joseph Allen, Luke Islam and Kodi Lee.

America’s Got Talent is averaging a 3.1 rating in adults 18-49 and 14.8 million total viewers, across seven days of digital and linear delayed viewing, according to NBC, citing Nielsen.

Cowell created America’s Got Talent, which is co-produced by Fremantle and Syco Entertainment. Cowell, Sam Donnelly, Jason Raff, Trish Kinane and Richard Wallace are the executive producers.

Michael Malone
Michael Malone

Michael Malone, senior content producer at B+C/Multichannel News, covers network programming, including entertainment, news and sports on broadcast, cable and streaming; and local broadcast television. He hosts the podcasts Busted Pilot, about what’s new in television, and Series Business, a chat with the creator of a new program, and writes the column “The Watchman.” He joined B+C in 2005. His journalism has also appeared in The New York Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Playboy and New York magazine.