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'America's Got Talent': Kelly Clarkson replaces Simon Cowell, fans call NBC 'nothing but Clarkson Network'

The replacement is temporary, owing to Cowell's recent back injury, but fans are nonetheless beyond excited for the show's latest change-up

'America's Got Talent' judge Simon Cowell is being replaced by former American Idol winner and current 'The Voice' judge Kelly Clarkson, though only temporarily. And as the singer continues to dominate the NBC Network, fans think it should rebrand itself to match.

The temporary replacement follows Cowell's unfortunate electric bike accident that left him with a broken back and in need of a six-hour surgery. With a fresh metal rod in his back, the veteran judge will be unable to fulfill his duties as a judge on AGT for a while and NBC evidently knew exactly whom to get to keep the show's momentum going. Clarkson shared the news via social media in a post titled 'Urgent Memo' and addressed it to "Everyone" regarding "Some changes." The note read, "My friend, Simon Cowell, is doing better now but was in an accident and won't be able to make Tuesday and Wednesday's live shows for AGT. But no worries America, someone far wiser, cooler, and hotter is taking his seat! The unbelievably amazing Kelly Clarkson." She concluded with a cheeky, "You're welcome in advance!"

Clarkson first hit the scene in 2002 when she auditioned for Cowell and fellow judges Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson in Season 1 of American Idol. It's been a wild ride for the singer who skyrocketed to fame after winning the first-ever Idol crown, making her way through several chart-topping albums and becoming a judge herself on season fourteen of NBC's 'The Voice' in 2018. And as she expands her journey to world domination with her own talk show, she can now add AGT and surpassing her once-mentor Cowell to her list of accomplishments. Fans are already predicting Clarkson will succeed in her new role. After all, her stint on 'The Voice' has made her a fan-favorite, with many appreciating her humor and crediting her exuberance with keeping the show entertaining. If she brings even a fraction of that to AGT, it's going to make the show even more fun than it already is.

One fan said, "Can’t think of anyone better to fill in!" while another stated, "I don't usually watch, but I sure am going to watch this week!!" And one fan joked, "Bahahahahaha I love you so much. Please do a british accent from time to time...I’m sure Simon will appreciate it." 

Clarkson's colleagues both old and new also jumped in on the congratulatory parade. The Twitter account for 'The Voice' shared, "We are SO ready for this," while AGT simply shared a gif of judges Heidi Klum and Sofia Vergara on the show, pointing to what fans are probably most excited to see. All three women are popular as individual artists as well as judges and having them be on AGT all at once is going to be more energy than anyone can handle. Howie Mandel is in for an interesting few weeks, that's for sure.

The only thing that could possibly cement Clarkson's takeover, at least according to some fans, is having NBC rename itself to reflect Clarkson's position on its network.

One fan joked under Clarkson's announcement, "Cool! One step closer to being the N othing B ut C larkson Network," to which another responded, "Nothing But Clarkson sounds like the best network ever!" Another fan tweeted, "NBC synergy! 2020 is one big dumpster fire, but @kellyclarkson is WINNING y’all."