The One Part of America's Got Talent That Fans Think Is Scripted

The show first premiered in June 2006, and since then has cycled through a rotating cast of high-profile judges and hosts, including Simon Cowell, Heidi Klum, Howie Mandel, Nick Cannon, Tyra Banks, and Terry Crews. It remains one of NBC's longest-running reality shows — and one of the most consistently accused of being "scripted."

While there's been no official confirmation from NBC or any cast or crew member that the show is scripted, fans aren't exactly convinced it's 100% authentic. And according to many viewers, there's one part of the show that feels especially fake: the auditions.

On Reddit, skeptical fans have zeroed in on those "Simon stops the performance halfway, tells them to do something else, then suddenly they're amazing" moments. One user wrote:

"I just find it so irritating that when singers get stopped by Simon, it always feels so fake to the point that producers tell the plan to him, then the contestants to play along. It seems so disingenuous."

Other comments echoed the same complaint:

• "So staged at this point."
• "The show was never a legitimate competition. It was always curated content for maximum emotional effect."
• "I enjoy talent, but the staged auditions are frustrating to me."

So far, no one involved with the show has addressed those claims directly — but fans have clearly picked a target. Whether it's creative editing or behind-the-scenes coaching, the audition segments seem to be where most of the trust breaks down.

In the meantime, Simon Cowell himself has been reflecting on how close the show came to never existing at all. In a May 2025 interview with PEOPLE, he revealed just how shaky the launch was:

"It was a very difficult show to sell actually, to be honest with you," Cowell said. "Because we made a pilot and the pilot was dreadful, I mean really, really bad. So, it was dead."

According to Cowell, the show was only saved by a last-minute visit from network executives:

"They came over and I just showed two minutes or three minutes of this show. And they loved it. They bought it. And that was it… If they hadn't come to my house that day, we wouldn't be having this conversation today."

As for what made America's Got Talent stand out, Cowell said it came down to the format's freedom:

"Why don't we have a competition, which is a talent competition, where there are no restrictions?... You're not restricted by anything and you're always constantly surprised at what people come up with."

So while fans might keep debating the reality of AGT's most dramatic moments, the show's longevity — and Cowell's survival instinct — are very much real.