'AGT' judges Union, Hough won't return to show next year

Gabrielle Union and Julianne Hough, who joined "America's Got Talent" as judges this past season, will not return when that NBC talent competition comes back next year.

An NBC spokeswoman Sunday night confirmed a report first published in Variety. No further details were given. Neither Union, 47, nor Hough, 31, has commented publicly.

Actress Union and dancer-actress Hough joined for 2019's season 14, replacing Spice Girls singer Melanie "Mel B" Brown and model Heidi Klum. NBC Entertainment executive Meredith Ahr, announcing their appointment in February, said in a statement at the time, "Gabrielle and Julianne are two of the most aspirational women in the business, on top of being electric entertainers with talent across disciplines. I am excited to see how their knowledge, compassion and sheer joy enhance the experience for acts and viewers alike."

The prolific Union's credits include the title role of the 2013-2019 BET drama "Being Mary Jane" and the current Spectrum police series "L.A.'s Finest," also starring Jessica Alba. Union awarded singer-songwriter Kodi Lee a Golden Buzzer, which meant the autistic musician would go straight to the live episodes. Lee, who is legally blind, was eventually crowned the winner of the reality competition in September.

Former "Dancing With the Stars" two-time champion and judge Hough (2011's "Footloose," 2016's "Grease Live!"), had awarded 12-year-old Garden City South singing phenom Luke Islam a Golden Buzzer to the "America's Got Talent" live shows this year. She tweeted afterward, "Luke is going to be a Broadway star! What an effortless performance. I was moved to joyful tears watching this moment, he deserves the world!" She stars in an episode of the just-released Netflix anthology series "Dolly Parton's Heartstrings."