America’s Got Talent 2024 LIVE — Sofia Vergara breaks down in tears after Stephanie Rainey’s performance
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AMERICA'S Got Talent has brought on another round of auditions - and one performance left a judge in tears.
Contestant Stephanie Rainey graced the stage and performed her original song Please Don't Go.
The song was about losing her nephew when he was less than a year old.
Sofia Vergara was shown sobbing multiple times throughout the performance.
Rainey received all yeses from the judges and will be moving on in the competition.
AGT airs next Tuesday at 8 pm ET on NBC. Fans without cable can stream new episodes with subscriptions to Sling and Peacock.
Read our AGT blog for the latest updates...
Fans complain about AGT allowing 'acts from other countries'
AGT fans are complaining about the show allowing "acts from other countries" to participate.
"What does the name 'America's Got Talent' imply?" someone tweeted. "That 'America' has talent, right? If you have to fly people in from outside of America, then wouldn't that be suggesting that America, in fact, has little talent? What about, let's say, Canada's Got Talent? Europe?"
"I thought this was AMERICA 'S Got Talent." one user wrote. "Most of the acts are from other countries. What's fair about that?"
About singer Stephanie Rainey
The search for a winning act on Season 19 of America’s Got Talent continues with ongoing auditions on NBC.
The Irish singer Stephanie Rainey made her debut last night, leaving a lasting impression.
Stephanie earned a standing ovation for her audition and secured a spot in the next round with unanimous approval from judges Simon Cowell, Howie Mandel, Sofia Vergara, and Heidi Klum.
Vergara was visibly moved to tears by Stephanie's musical performance, and Cowell, equally touched, joined Stephanie onstage to commend her, saying, “That was what I call a moment. That song is so beautiful, thank you so much for coming over.”
Fan calls AGT episode 'a chore'
Despite the seemingly positive response from fans on social media, one AGT viewer was not all that happy with the show, calling it "a chore to get through."
AGT 2023 winners revealed
The season 18 champions of America’s Got Talent are Italian dog trainer Adrian Stoica and his lovable dog, Hurricane.
The duo wowed audiences and beat out the Ramadhani Brothers, Putri Ariana, Anna DeGuzman, and Murmuration to win the $1million cash prize.
Hurricane would perform amazing tricks with his human to upbeat songs, including a Meghan Trainor tune.
The highly skilled border collie was trained by the talented Italian dog master to do tricks using props and jumping through hoops.
The duo dedicated their final performance to Adrian’s other dog, who died shortly after the qualification round.
All the America’s Got Talent spin-offs
Because of AGT’s popularity, several spin-off shows have been made, some airing with success and some without.
Here are the spin-offs from AGT:
- America’s Got Talent Live
- America’s Got Talent: The Champions
- AGT: Extreme
- America’s Got Talent: All Stars
- America’s Got Talent: Fantasy League
Where AGT came from, part three
As a result, Cowell put the British edition on hold and focused his efforts on establishing the format in America.
After approaching many networks, Cowell obtained an offer from NBC to develop his televised competition for their network based on comments from the ITV pilot, and agreed to a deal to produce fifteen episodes for the 2006 summer season.
Cowell collaborated with Fremantle and his company Syco Entertainment but opted not to be a judge on the new show, instead serving as executive producer.
Regis Philbin hosted the show, with David Hasselhoff, Brandy Norwood, and Piers Morgan serving as judges.
Where AGT came from, continued
The pilot was deemed a success.
The initial intention for the show was to develop and broadcast a British edition between 2005 and 2006, presented by British television star Paul O’Grady, who had assisted with the pilot (before Cowell proposed the model for American television).
However, while working on the new show, O’Grady became embroiled in a disagreement with ITV, eventually canceling his contract with them and defecting to another British network.
Where AGT came from
The idea for America’s Got Talent came from The X Factor founder and Sony Music executive Simon Cowell, who wanted to establish a talent competition considerably greater than those shown on television.
His plan, which he initially pitched to British television network ITV in 2005, was for a tournament in which participants of any age and region could compete with whatever type of ability they wanted to showcase.
The network liked the idea and approved the production of a pilot episode to test the model, with Cowell creating a panel with two other judges (including Piers Morgan).
Former AGT hosts revealed
Just like its judge’s panels, AGT has had several hosts throughout the years. They have been the following:
What to know about AGT’s host
Terry Crews has returned as America’s Got Talent’s host for this season.
His parts in Everybody Hates Chris, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and White Chicks are well-known to audiences.
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, That’s My Jam, and America’s Got Talent: Extreme are among his earlier hosting credits.
Former AGT judges who made up the panel
AGT has had its fair judge rotation throughout the years. Here are the celebrities that have previously made up the panel:
AGT judge's wife is 'absolutely perfect'
So, Howie took matters into his own hands and rushed Terry to the hospital.
With Terry holding a towel to her eye, she urged Howie to get the doctor.
When the doctor arrived, Terry informed him that she couldn't see out of her left eye.
He revealed that now Terry is "absolutely perfect" and there is no scar or mark left on her.
'Blood was pulling from her'
Howie went to look for Terry and found her face down in the corner.
"I didn't know that she cut her head, but blood was pulling from her," he said.
"I freaked out. I picked her up and put her on the bed. There's blood everywhere."
Howie said that he grabbed all the towels in the room as Terry asked for ice.
Unable to find any ice, he handed her a can of soda and placed it on her head. She then threw the can across the room because it hurt her head.
AGT judge recounts frightening story about wife, continued
"As she went down, she hit that, hit her eye, and then fell on the floor and broke her cheek," Howie said.
He said that he heard a bang and a scream and woke up to find his wife not in the bed, but on the floor.
When he asked Terry where she was, she responded that she didn't know.
He then showed a picture of her injuries, which included a severely bruised eye, a gash on her forehead, and multiple bruises on her face.
Howie said that he still can't look at that photo.
AGT judge recounts frightening story about wife
Howie Mandel has shared details about his wife's severe fall in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The comedian revealed that there was blood everywhere and that she broke a few bones in the incident, which occurred in February.
During his appearance on Live with Kelly and Mark on June 17, where he was discussing the new season of America's Got Talent, the story came up.
Host Kelly Ripa inquired about Terry's condition after Howie mentioned his wife's fall a few months ago.
The AGT judge explained that after returning from dinner, Terry was a bit tipsy, which he hadn't realized at the time.
He recounted that she got up in the middle of the night, hit the wall and the wainscoting, a panel that runs along the bottom half of the wall.
Meet the past winners – Adrian Stoica and Hurricane
During the 18th season finale of America's Got Talent, Adrian Stoica and Hurricane were crowned winners.
Adrian is a dog trainer who performs alongside his dog, Hurricane.
Fans voted all season long for their favorite act to try and eventually, Adrian and Hurricane were deemed victorious.
The act also competed in America's Got Talent: Fantasy League in 2024 but was eliminated in the semi-finals.
Meet the past winners – The Mayyas
The Mayyas won season 17 of AGT with their incredible performance.
The group beat out 55 contestants to secure their spot on top.
Meet the past winners – Dustin Tavella
Dustin Tavella won season 16 of AGT with his unique spin on magic.
After his win, he went on to headline AGT's Luxor residency.
Meet the past winners – Brandon Leake
In 2020, Brandon Leake won season 15 of AGT with his unique spoken-word poems.
After his AGT win, he went on to release the poetry collection, Unraveling, and has been seen performing shows across the country.
More on Kodi Lee
He then competed on AGT: All-Stars and AGT: Fantasy League.
In 2024, Lee performed at a special one-night-only event called A Musical Evening with Kodi Lee.
The event was presented by Disability Rights & Resources and took place in Birmingham, Alabama.
Meet the past winners – Kodi Lee
Kodi Lee captured the hearts of Americans nationwide after his Golden Buzzer-worthy audition.
Lee is both blind and autistic, but that has not stopped him from expressing his love for music through playing the piano and singing.
After his AGT win, he went on to perform shows across the country and was even seen playing alongside the Plain White T's at the 2022 Yucaipa Music & Arts Festival.
Meet the past winners – Shin Lim
Shin Lim won season 13 of AGT and later made history by becoming the first act to win twice after he took home the AGT: Champions crown.
The magician is known for his use of card manipulation and has since been seen as a guest on Ellen and The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon.
Meet the past winners – Darci Lynne
Ventriloquist and singer Darci Lynne has been credited with the revival of ventriloquism after her impressive AGT win.
After taking home the title during season 12, she started touring across the country and made her acting debut in the film, A Cowgirl's Song.
In 2024, Darci released her debut single called Push Our Luck.
Meet the past winners – Grace VanderWaal
Popular singer, songwriter, and actress Grace VanderWaal impressed the judges with her audition, ultimately earning her the Golden Buzzer.
At just 12 years old, she became the second Golden Buzzer winner to go all the way.
After winning the television show, she released one album and three EPs.
She also made her acting debut in 2020 while starring in the Disney+ original movie, Stargirl.
Meet the past winners – Paul Zerdin
British comedian and ventriloquist Paul Zerdin won season 10 of AGT and made history as the first-ever Golden Buzzer Act to win.
After that, he embarked on a UK tour with dates scheduled through 2023.
He also returned to the AGT stage in 2019 for AGT: Champions.