On May 28, “America’s Got Talent” season 19 began with the first installment of audition episodes. In this initial stage of the competition, each judge is given two “golden buzzer” decisions to make where they can send an act straight through to the live shows. At the end of the evening, Heidi Klum was filled with all the feels after hearing 55 year old Richard Goodall sing “Don’t Stop Believing,” and awarded him her first golden buzzer. Watch the full performance in the video above.
When Richard came to the stage to meet the judges, it was apparent that he was incredibly nervous. He had explained in his introduction package that he had a dream of singing all his life, but in order to make money he took a job as a middle school janitor and has lived a life as “not a fancy person” to “try and make people happy.” He was inspired to try out by the students who hear him sing and told him repeatedly that he’s “got talent.” He acknowledged that coming to the show felt “off balance,” but knew that he had to try it.
He told Simon Cowell that his song selection would speak for itself, so as soon as he started in on the inspirational Queen classic, everyone knew exactly what he meant. Afterward, Simon called him his “hero ’cause that was genuinely special.” Sofia Vergara referred to Richard as “perfect to come to AGT” because he delivered an “amazing surprise.” Heidi had the strongest emotional reaction to Richard’s performance, saying, “You knocked me off my feet. I mean, we all had the best time with you up there on that stage. I really, really feel something when I see you up there and hear you up there. And now, this is what I’m gonna do for you ’cause I love you.” With that love, Heidi hit the golden buzzer and surprised Richard with a “dream come true.”
As the second golden buzzer act of the season, Richard will skip the next cut and advance straight to the live shows. He joins comedian Learnmore Jonasi who was chosen for the honor earlier in the night by Terry.
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