“America’s Got Talent” is axing showrunner Jason Raff due to budget constraints

After 19 seasons of working on America's Got Talent, Jason Raff is stepping down as showrunner due to budget cuts. Going forward, the unscripted competition series will be directed by Sam Donnelly, who previously shared showrunning duties with Raff.

“America's Got Talent” ended its 19th season on NBC in September, after which Raff was informed he was being axed. He has been with the series since its debut in 2006, while Donnelly joined with Season 9 in 2014.

In addition to the flagship series, Raff also developed and served as showrunner on all spin-offs, including “America's Got Talent: The Champions,” which ran for two seasons from 2019 to 2020; “AGT: Extreme,” which aired for one season in 2022; “America’s Got Talent: All-Stars,” which premiered in 2023 and aired for one season; and “America's Got Talent: Fantasy League,” which premiered earlier this year and aired for one season.

Simon Cowell created America's Got Talent and remains on the celebrity judging panel alongside Heidi Klum, Howie Mandel and Sofia Vergara, while Terry Crews serves as host. Previous judges include Brandy, Mel B, David Hasselhoff, Julianne Hough, Piers Morgan, Sharon Osbourne, Howard Stern and Gabrielle Union, while previous hosts include Regis Philbin, Jerry Springer, Nick Cannon and Tyra Banks.

Cowell and Donnelly are the executive producers of “America’s Got Talent,” and Fremantle and Syco Entertainment are co-producers of the series. The 19th season of “America's Got Talent” premiered in May and singer Richard Goodall was named the winner in September.

Deadline was the first to break the news of Raff's departure.