54 y/o School Janitor Richard Goodall DEFIES Expectations winning Golden Buzzer on AGT
As America's Got Talent begins its 19th season, viewers might assume all shocking moments have been exhausted. However, when 54-year-old custodian Richard Goodall stepped onto the stage during the season's first episode, his stunning performance turned him into an overnight sensation.
Richard introduced himself to the celebrity judges led by Simon Cowell while visibly shaking with anxiety. He shared that he had served as a school custodian for 23 years and had spent his entire life in Terre Haute, Indiana. This audition marked significant firsts for Richard - he had never traveled west of Missouri before and took his very first flight to reach Los Angeles for this opportunity.
Despite his obvious nervousness, Simon displayed his gentler side when speaking with Richard, offering encouragement by saying, "We're rooting for you, Richard!"
Richard's opening lines of Journey's "Don't Stop Believing" instantly brought the audience to their feet. His anxiety vanished beneath the remarkable strength of his voice. His flawless delivery sparked excitement throughout the theater. Richard hit every high note expertly, concluding his audition with a tone that perfectly matched the original song, prompting Simon to begin the feedback by declaring, "Richard, you are my hero."
With tears streaming down his face, Richard received glowing praise from all judges. Sofia Vergara smiled and told him, "You made our night." Howie Mandel offered a joke, telling the Indiana custodian, "Maybe it's because you've been doing it for 20 years, but you just cleaned up!" Heidi Klum admitted, "You knocked me off my feet," before surprising everyone by pressing the Golden Buzzer.
This emotional moment has already attracted an incredible 8 MILLION views on YouTube in just one week!
Richard was overwhelmed as Heidi joined him onstage to congratulate him. She even accompanied him backstage as he called his fiancée, Angie, to share the exciting news. Over speakerphone, Angie exclaimed, "Oh my God! I knew it! I told you!"
Richard explained he's been passionate about music since childhood, playing his RadioShack stereo so loudly that his mother would bang on the ceiling with a broom seeking quiet. He told Yahoo, "I love all kinds of music [...] I love those songs that are smooth at the beginning and have a slow build and then at the end you're just belting it out." His AGT song selection perfectly demonstrated this preference.
Prior to his AGT audition, Richard practiced singing in his school's hallways, at various karaoke events, and during local radio competitions.
But when his wife Patty passed away from cancer in June 2021, music transformed into a vital lifeline for Richard: "When you're married for so long and they pass away and you've got that void there, your biggest concern is figuring out who you are without them. And music was the bridge again."
His America's Got Talent appearance represents the second time Richard has achieved online fame — the first occurred in 2022 when a video of him performing at an elementary school talent show collected over 3 million views on TikTok and half a million likes!
