"Piers Morgan Tonight" has improved CNN's performance in the hour, but Rachel Maddow still tops the British host.
AP Photo/Ian WestThe Twitterverse is abuzz with reactions to Howard Stern‘s new gig as a judge on NBC’s America’s Got Talent.
Piers Morgan, who recently resigned from the reality contest’s judging panel to focus on his CNN program Piers Morgan Tonight, responded to Tuesday morning’s announcement on Twitter, posting: “Congrats to @HowardStern on landing my #AmericasGotTalent judging gig – he’ll be outrageous, hilarious, dangerous & brilliant. Can’t wait.”
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Judge Howie Mandel, meanwhile, said he “couldn’t be happier,” and predicted the upcoming season “will be our best year yet.” In response to a question from a reader named @AurorasGranny wondering who Stern was replacing, Mandel responded: “Betty White.” He replied “I think u will” to an anti-Stern tweet from @juliedonovan73: “I don’t think I’ll be watching him on the show.”
Bravo executive Andy Cohen also weighed in on the social-networking site: “Psyched that @HowardStern is joining the nbc family. #OMG.” The Real Housewives-packed cable channel is part of Comcast-controlled NBCUniversal.
Carson Daly, host of NBC’s Last Call with Carson Daly, echoed that sentiment. “So stoked – welcome to the NBC family!”
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In another congratulatory tweet, TMZ creator Harvey Levin remarked: “I’ve been saying this for months ..Howard Stern will make AGT huge hit..and those who object are dumb. He knows when to push it and when not.”
Lewis Kay, a publicist at the public-relations firm PMK/BNC, commented on the timing: “Pretty funny that Howard Stern chose the exact moment Globes were being announced to reveal his AGT news.”
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At least one reader on the site thinks Stern’s New York-based Sirius program will suffer as a result of his second, L.A.-based job. “Howard Stern’s radio show is going to suffer now that he’s been hired to host ‘America’s Got Talent’ next season. It already has,” complained @michaelcorcoran.
