AceShowbiz -

"America's Got Talent" will get some love from Howie Mandel. Several days after David Hasselhoff announced his departure from the competition show, Howie stepped up as the new judge who replaces him.

"David is leaving... and yes I believe Howie Mandell is replacing [him]," NBC Universal Television Entertainment Chairman Jeff Gaspin said on Sunday, January 10. Howie is the familiar face of "Deal or No Deal" which is not in NBC's immediate schedule. "We are not doing any more 'Deals' for NBC currently," Gaspin stated.

With the agenda emptied, Howie is expected to be able to join Piers Morgan and Sharon Osbourne for the judging anytime soon because the show will premiere the fifth season in summer this year. Auditions in several cities actually had been held in Fall but it is unclear whether David was included.

On the reason why NBC chose Howie, Gaspin explained to Access Hollywood, "As you know, Howie was a big part of our schedule for the last several years with 'Deal or No Deal,' and we thought he did a phenomenal job. If you think about an expertise, Howie has had a Las Vegas show for years and he constantly performs in Las Vegas. So we actually though - not only is he a great communicator, but he's actually an expert."

David Hasselhoff who has been a judge of "America's Got Talent" for four seasons will move on with his own project. He said that announcement regarding the project, which reportedly is also for television, will be unveiled "soon".