America's Got Talent Weighs Leaving California After 21 Seasons

"America's Got Talent" may become the latest television production to depart California, with sources telling TMZ.com that the NBC competition reality show is evaluating locations outside the state for its upcoming season.

According to TMZ.com, people close to the production say the program — whose judging panel features Simon Cowell, Sofia Vergara, Howie Mandel, and Mel B — is weighing whether to shoot season 22 in Georgia or possibly Nashville. The show has called Los Angeles its primary filming home across its first 21 seasons.

The deliberations, first reported by TMZ.com on Monday, September 21, 2026, center on finances. Sources indicated to TMZ.com that competing states are dangling larger production incentives and tax credits, a package that could deliver substantial savings for the series.

Should "America's Got Talent" relocate, the decision would align with the trajectory of its production company, Fremantle. As TMZ.com previously reported, Fremantle has already disclosed plans to shift its other major hit, "American Idol," from Los Angeles to Georgia. "The Masked Singer" has separately revealed intentions to move its production to the East Coast after years based in Los Angeles.

The steady stream of reality television departures has taken a toll on the Los Angeles-area economy, and local officials now confront mounting pressure to expand tax incentives in an effort to retain productions within the county.

For Los Angeles County, the stakes extend beyond a single program. Reality competition series generate sustained employment for crews, vendors, and support services across the region, and each relocation chips away at that base. The pattern established by "American Idol" and "The Masked Singer" suggests the decisions are being driven less by creative considerations than by the bottom line — a dynamic that could accelerate if officials do not respond with competitive incentives.