Signs Sofia Vergara's Reputation With AGT Fans Has Soured

Over time, it appears that "America's Got Talent" viewers have started to change their minds about Sofia Vergara. In the past, Vergara stole the show on "AGT" with stunning looks and won over fans with some earnestly touching Golden Buzzer moments. During her second season as a judge, Vergara sent singer Jimmer Herrod to the live rounds in June 2021 when she slapped the buzzer for him after coyly pretending to be underwhelmed at first. "I got chills all over my body. I was so moved that he nearly brought me to tears!" the "Modern Family" star told People at the time. Unfortunately, the untold truth of Vergara is that the early optimism surrounding her as a judge has seemed to wane.

While Vergara has had some emotional Golden Buzzer moments, she had a confounding one in July 2024. On the show, Japanese comedy duo Schumacher performed in animal-print catsuits and playfully struck poses together to make it seem as if they were wildlife creatures. Many thought the performance was slightly amusing, but far from great — except for Vergara, who used her unilateral powers to push the comedy duo into the live rounds. Fans were bothered by seeing what they felt was an undeserving buzzer awarded. "This is the worst golden buzzer I've seen on the show yet," one commented on Instagram. "C'mon Sophia!!!? Where's your common sense?" another added.

Displeasure with Vergara's performance as a judge had been vocalized months before that Golden Buzzer snafu. "AGT" fans took to Reddit in March to bash the actor. "Sofia Vergara is a terrible judge. It's either you have to hear BRAVOOO or OFF THE CHAINNNN over and over again," one Redditor wrote. Fans were also bothered by how she handled an on-air confrontation with Howie Mandel in an earlier season.

Sofia Vergara had a little on-air friction with Howie Mandel when he poked fun at her divorce from Joe Manganiello on an episode of "America's Got Talent" that aired in August 2023. "If you're looking for eligible bachelors, you should've talked to Sofia," Mandel joked (via Entertainment Tonight). At the time, the "Hot Pursuit" actor took her co-judge's comment in stride and laughed it off. Some fans believed the crack crossed the line and showed Mandel's shady side, but he defended himself. "I was helping Sofia!" he told Entertainment Tonight when asked about the mild controversy. "And then online people said it was too soon and it was tasteless," the comedian added. 

The following month, Mandel doubled down when Vergara was on the Tot Seat being interviewed by the other "AGT" judges, and he asked if she was "interested in anyone." That time around, Vergara was bothered by her dating status being mentioned, and she stormed off the set. Footage of the interaction was shared online, and many fans believed Vergara had overreacted. "Her talent just seems to be her body and maybe her accent," a fan wrote on X, formerly Twitter, while replying to the clip.

Fans had a similar reaction to Vergara coming across as humorless when she appeared on an episode of "Watch What Happens Live" in January alongside reality star Alexia Nepola. "She was not fun, not playful and came across as a self important pain in the a** who was too good to sit there with a housewife," one viewer commented. Other "WWHL" fans were bothered by her behavior. "Sofia is cringy with how disinterested she's acting," another added. Overall, it seems fans are turned off when Vergara takes herself too seriously.