Howard Stern is officially joining the panel of judges on NBC's competition series America's Got Talent.

The radio shock jock had hinted that he would be moving to the small screen, but the peacock network has finally made the big announcement. NBC said the following in a press release:

“Howard Stern’s larger-than-life personality will bring a thrilling new dynamic to ‘America’s Got Talent’ starting this summer. He’s a proven innovator and his track record in broadcasting is truly remarkable. Howard is very passionate about this show and is fully committed to its future success.”

Stern is replacing former AGT judge Piers Morgan ... who left to focus on his CNN talk show. The radio personality will be making a reported $15 million while sitting alongside fellow judges Sharon Osbourne and Howie Mandel.

Howard Stern and NBC are close to wrapping up the contract that will bring the shock jock to America's Got Talent as a judge, according to the NY Post.

A source tells the Post that creator and executive producer Simon Cowell is "hellbent" on Stern joining the show, however the radio personality wants $20 million for the year AND Stern wants the show to move to New York so he can continue his radio show in the Big Apple.

Currently, the production tapes at the CBS Television City studios in LA. The source adds:

"Moving it to New York would mean over 100 people losing their jobs ... And inconvenience for Howie and Sharon, who wants to spend more time with her husband, Ozzy. Another idea would be for the show to stay in LA and Howard to be a part-time judge."

Another source from the production tells the Post it's "practically a done deal."

Piers Morgan says he's stepping down after six years with AGT to focus more on Piers Morgan Tonight on CNN.

Reps for both Simon Cowell and Howard Stern wouldn't comment on the AGT deal.

Prince may be the only man who would actually throw Kim Kardashian off his concert stage, and now Howard Stern is randomly coming to her defense.

You may remember Prince's concert footage on Monday night at Madison Square Garden, when he quickly booted Kim K off the floor after she wouldn’t dance with him. That really ticked Stern off, and he took to his radio show to explain why.

Stern expressed on Sirius XM radio of incident:

“He seems to be an arrogant asshole lately. He's a scumbag. The guy is just weird, he gives concerts with the lights out. She doesn’t know what to do. Apparently she’s supposed to dance like a stripper for him and she just stood there not knowing what to do. He throws her off the stage because she can’t read f–king Prince’s mind. He’s a bulls–t artist. I’m done with him.”

Ouch.

Kardashian seems not to have any hard feelings. The reality star explained her cold feet right after the concert, Tweeting, “I was so nervous I froze when Prince touched me!!!!” She later added, “Went up on stage AGAIN! This time I redeemed myself! We all danced while Prince played the piano! Wow! What a night!”

Maybe Howard Stern and Prince should duke it out over this one? We'd love to see that.

Find out how many ladies The Artist has been romantically linked to, after the jump ...

It's pretty darn clear at this point Howard Stern is not a fan of Jay Leno, but he really ripped into the late-night talk show host on David Letterman Thursday night, making Dave visibly nervous and uncomfortable.

Stern launched into a Leno tirade, expressing:

"Jay is horrible, right? I didn't like Jay, I never liked Jay, I can't stand Jay. I've never seen anybody who behaves like a robot like this guy. I watched his final show (when he says goodbye to the "Tonight Show") he's reading off a teleprompter for crying out loud. Where's the emotion and where's the humanity?"

Ouch.

The Private Parts star has good reason to remain a loyal Letterman guest; the late night host gave him a major break by inviting Stern on the show when he was relatively unknown.

In other news, Leno will be in Massachusetts Friday night, to receive Harvard's Hasty Pudding 2011 Man of the Year prize. Wonder what Stern's going to say about that one?

Find out how two lesbians started the feud between Leno and Stern, after the jump!

Howard Stern wants to tell the world what he really thinks of Jay Leno, and the controversial radio host is definitely on team Coco.

The best-selling author sat down with Morgan for an interview airing Tuesday on his new CNN show Piers Morgan Tonight, and Stern basically ripped Leno a new one, according to the New York Post.

The Private Parts star revealed:

"Jay is insane. And Jay is a crook. He's not fit to scrub David Letterman's feet. I don't know how he's beaten David Letterman in the ratings. It's beyond my comprehension. America must be filled with morons who at night lay in bed ... the ones who are watching him, they must be in a coma. And the world knows exactly what he's up to. He steals a tremendous amount of material."

Stern goes on:

"This guy's ripped off like ten major things from my show. But the chicken thing we did for years."

Ouch. It's never a good idea to steal someone else's chicken.

Seriously? Again? Didn't he learn after the first time!

Scream 4 star David Arquette returned to the Howard Stern radio show Wednesday morning to again talk about his separation from wife Courteney Cox.

Arquette revealed that he's been "drinking a little more" since the split, that he and Cox have no prenup (the actress is worth $100 million) and, of course, that he's "still f****** in love with my wife."

Additionally, Arquette claims that even though Courteney "got really pissed" when she heard his first Howard Stern interview, they later "talked it all out" in therapy.

And what about Jasmine Waltz, the first person David had sex with post-Courteney? The 39-year-old has this to say: "After the first girl I slept with ... a few days later ... I was, like, crying. It was the end of all the intimacy I shared with my wife," he says, adding that the sex lacked "that emotional love that I always had with Court."

In a typical Howard move, the shock jock suggested Arquette date Courteney's BFF Jennifer Aniston! "Not right, not good," David responded.

Denise Richards stopped by Howard Stern's Radio Show this morning to promote the new season of Spike TV's Blue Mountain State just hours after ex-husband Charlie Sheen was transported to a New York hospital from his hotel suite at The Plaza Hotel.

Denise explained to Howard Stern: "Well, I came here with my daughters. It's their first time in New York. He's off this week. I came in a couple of days early before promoting the [new TV] show and he wanted to come along."

When Stern continued to ask if everything was still "hunky dory" Denise replied, "Yeah, I guess you could say it's hunky dory. It's been a very eventful trip."

Eye-witnesses dining at Daniel last night, an upper east side restaurant near The Plaza, observed Charlie Sheen acting rowdy at his table, as if he had been drinking before he arrived, according to Life & Style. Denise stopped by the restaurant to join Charlie's party, which included the escort who was reportedly locked in his hotel suite, but left shortly after. Denise appeared to have had enough of Sheen's behavior as he was "stumbling and loud and being very frisky and touchy-feely".

Denise also confessed to Stern this morning that after she married Charlie Sheen: "my life fell apart."

Sheen is scheduled to return to L.A. by private jet tonight. He will begin shooting a movie on Friday and will be back to the Two and a Half Men set the following week. A rep for Chuck Lorre Productions had "no comment" on the current situation or its effect of the show.

Sources say that shock jock Howard Stern may be the first in line to replace Simon Cowell when the Brit bad boy leaves American Idol at the end of this season.

This is either the best idea or the worst idea ever.

An Idol insider tells Page Six that Stern, Sirius XM Radio deal expires next January, is their first choice to fill the role.

"They know he would be great TV and would clash with the other judges such as Ellen DeGeneres and the contestants," says the source. "Idol will do what it takes to sign him."

But the insider also notes that Stern may not be ready to leave radio -- not to mention New York -- to travel around the country for auditions and spend several months out of the year in Los Angeles. Plus, Idol bosses may not be able to compete with a Sirius XM offer, should it come in. (Simon makes $50 mil a year, while Howard takes in double that.)

"I was approached by a major TV network to take over a TV show and leave here and do that next year -- and I did turn it down," said Stern on a recent radio show. "I'm not even sure if I want to be working. I'm waiting to see what happens."

Do YOU think Howard would make a good replacement?