<P> On September 14, 12 - year - old singer - songwriter and ukulele player Grace VanderWaal was announced as the second female and second child to win America's Got Talent (Bianca Ryan, age 11, was first). Magician mentalists The Clairvoyants were runners - up, and magician Jon Dorenbos placed third . </P> <P> On August 2, 2016, it was announced that host Nick Cannon and all four judges would be returning for season 12 . Later that year, on October 4, Simon Cowell signed a contract to remain as a judge through to 2019 (Season 14). </P> <P> On February 13, 2017, Cannon announced he would not return as host for the twelfth season, citing creative differences between him and executives at NBC . The resignation came in the wake of news that the network considered firing Cannon after he made disparaging remarks about NBC in his Showtime comedy special Stand Up, Don't Shoot . NBC selected Tyra Banks as the new host for season 12, which premiered on Tuesday, May 30, 2017 . </P> <P> On September 20, Darci Lynne Farmer won the twelfth season, becoming the third ventriloquist, third child act and the third female act to win the competition (second year in a row after VanderWaal's win in 2016). Child singer Angelica Hale was announced as the runner - up, and Ukrainian dance act Light Balance finished in third place . Deaf musician Mandy Harvey and dog act Sara & Hero rounded out the top five . </P>

Who is hosting america's got talent in 2017