Piers Morgan leaving "America's Got Talent"

Host Nick Cannon (2nd L) and judges Piers Morgan (L), Sharon Osbourne and Howie Mandel attend the NBC panel for the television show ''America's Got Talent'' during the Television Critics Association summer press tour in Pasadena, California April 15, 2011.

(Reuters) - Piers Morgan announced he is leaving his judge's seat on "America's Got Talent" next season in order to focus on other upcoming news events like the 2012 U.S. presidential election.

"I can exclusively reveal that I'm leaving 'America's Got Talent,'" Morgan said on his CNN program "Piers Morgan Tonight" on Wednesday.

"I've loved every single second, but discovered that juggling, to my surprise really is a bit more difficult than I thought," added Morgan, who replaced Larry King earlier this year when King retired from his long-running CNN program "Larry King Live."

Morgan thanked "America's Got Talent" creator and fellow Briton Simon Cowell for the opportunity to sit as a judge for six years on "that amazing show," and quipped in a message to the Motion Picture Academy that he is now available to host the Oscars.

Designated Oscars host Eddie Murphy bowed out of hosting duties for the Academy Awards on Wednesday after a series of media gaffs made by producer Brett Ratner, who also pulled out.

(Reporting by Chris Michaud; editing by Jill Serjeant)