Where Are They Now? Check In With The Past Winners Of America’s Got Talent
America's Got Talent is so much more than a talent show. Without this distinctly American television program, we wouldn't have been introduced to the likes of Grace Vanderwaal and Darci Lynne. This show has given us too many viral videos to count. Who doesn't love a golden buzzer moment?
Britain's Got Talent may have given us One Direction and Little Mix, but the American winners have launched equally impressive careers. Keep reading to find out what they've been up to since their seasons ended.
Shin Lim Is Going On Tour
Shin Lim is a Canadian-American magician who originally trained to be a pianist. After a battle with carpal tunnel syndrome halted his music career, Shin turned to magic. He appeared on the 13th season of America's Got Talent and he ended up winning the whole competition. Then he came back for America's Got Talent: The Champions and won that too.
Since appearing on the show, Shin has been touring all over North America. He also performed at The Mirage in Las Vegas.
Mat Franco's Career Got A Little Bit More Magical
Speaking of magicians, whatever happened to Mat Franco, the magician who won the ninth season of America's Got Talent? Well, Franco started headlining in Las Vegas at LINQ Hotel & Casino in 2015.
His show, "Mat Franco: Magic Reinvented Nightly" was named "Best Magic Show in Las Vegas" by the Las Vegas Review Journal in 2016. You can keep up with Mat Franco on his personal YouTube channel which now has over 250,000 subscribers.
Kenichi Ebina Gave A Ted Talk
Kenichi Ebina danced his way into the winner's circle on the eighth season of America's Got Talent. He scored some major points for his unique style and his dedication to his craft. In 2019, Kenichi appeared on America's Got Talent: The Champions, but he didn't make it to the final round.
You can keep up with all of Kenichi's tour dates on his personal Instagram account, and if you still haven't gotten your Kenichi fix, you can check out the TED Talk he did in 2007, six years before he was on America's Got Talent.
Paul Zerdin Was On Who Wants To Be A Millionaire
Paul Zerdin is a British comedian and ventriloquist. He came from across the pond to impress Americans with his comedic talent. Paul and his puppet friends won the 10th season of America's Got Talent.
After the show ended, Paul got a headline residency show in Las Vegas at Planet Hollywood. The show was called "Mouthing Off" and it ran from May 14 to September 4, 2016. It was then closed due to poor attendance. In 2017, he appeared on Who Wants To Be a Millionaire. He didn't win the million, but he did walk away with $20,000.
Landau Eugene Murphy Jr. Put Out A Debut Album
Landau Eugene Murphy Jr., a jazz singer from West Virginia, won the sixth season of America's Got Talent. After appearing on the show, Murphy signed to Sony Records and Columbia Records. His first studio album, That's Life, came out on November 21, 2011.
The album debuted at number 34 on the Billboard charts, and by May 2017, it had sold 156,000 copies. Murphy is heavily influenced by the music of Frank Sinatra. References to Sinatra's music can be found all over his album.
Bianca Ryan Is All Grown Up
Bianca Ryan won the very first season of America's Got Talent back in 2006. Bianca was just eleven years old at the time. This powerhouse vocalist clearly isn't a kid anymore. Since the show ended, Bianca has pretty much done it all. She tried her hand at acting, she launched her own lipstick line, and she performed on Broadway.
In 2016, she dealt with some pretty severe health problems. She had vocal and abdominal surgery after her doctors told her she was at risk of developing esophageal cancer. After a long and difficult recovery, Bianca released a new song called, "One Day."
Michael Grimm Got Married
Michael Grimm is a singer and songwriter who won the fifth season of America's Got Talent. Michael's life has been pretty eventful since his stint on the show ended. Like every other AGT winner, Michael was given the opportunity to headline a show in Las Vegas.
In 2010, Michael proposed to his longtime girlfriend on The Ellen Degeneres Show. The couple got married in 2011. That same year, he released a self-titled album that reached #13 on US Pop Music Charts.
Darci Lynne Farmer Collaborated With Another Famous Ventriloquist
Ventriloquist and singer Darci Lynne Farmer won the twelfth season of America's Got Talent. This girl captivated America and videos of her performances of the show went viral on YouTube and Facebook.
Since appearing on the show, Darci was a guest on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. She also collaborated with famous ventriloquist comedian Jeff Dunham on a video called The Haunted House on Dunham Hill. In 2018, Darci went on a national tour called Darci Lynne and Friends Live.
Grace VanderWaal Is Going To Star In A Disney Movie
Grace VanderWaal is known for her distinctive vocals and her impressive songwriting abilities. Grace performed an original song for her AGT audition and it went viral on YouTube in 2016. Grace ended up winning the eleventh season of America's Got Talent.
Since winning the show, Grace has released a studio album, an EP, and several hit singles. She's been on tour, she has over 3 million subscribers on YouTube, and she's going to star in a Disney film called Stargirl that's set to be released in 2020.
The Olate Dogs Released A Holiday Album
The Olate Dogs captured all of our hearts, and they ended up winning the seventh season of America's Got Talent. These dogs got their own show in Las Vegas, they appeared on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and they even released a holiday album which features the dogs "singing" to holiday classics.
In 2014, the Olate Dogs starred in a short film called "Le Sauvetage (The Rescue)" that premiered at the Sonoma International Film Festival.
Neal E. Boyd Saw Success Before Tragedy Struck
Neal E. Boyd blew us all away with his vocal talents on the third season of America's Got Talent. He ended up winning the show, and then he got to perform live in Las Vegas. Post-show, Neal Boyd signed to Decca Records and released an album called My American Dream.
In 2010, Boyd performed for former U.S. president Barack Obama. Unfortunately, on June 10th, 2018, Boyd died of heart and kidney failure and liver disease. He was 42 years old at the time.
Terry Fator Put Ventriloquism On The Map
Ventriloquist Terry Fator won the second season of America's Got Talent. There haven't been very many famous ventriloquists in the post-vaudeville era, and we're so glad that America's Got Talent is giving these unique artists a platform.
Since appearing on the show, Terry has made many television appearances and he's performed on Broadway. He started and finished writing a book, and in 2013, he voiced a character on the Disney Channel show Mickey Mouse.
We Haven't Heard Much From Kevin Skinner
Country music singer Kevin Skinner won the fourth season of America's Got Talent. He got the one million dollar prize and a headline show in Las Vegas. On March 17th, 2010, he released his debut album called "Long Ride."
We haven't heard from Skinner since then. He hasn't released any new music or gone on tour. Maybe he decided to focus on being a father to his two children. Wherever he is, we hope he's doing well.
Tom Cotter Is Still Performing
Comedian Tom Cotter was the runner up on the seventh season of America's Got Talent. He famously lost to a bunch of clever canines (AKA, The Olate Dogs). If you visit Tom's website, you'll see that he's very proud of his time on AGT. The homepage of his site mentions that he's the first ever comedian to make it to the finals of America's Got Talent.
Tom now regularly performs at The Comedy Cellar in New York City. He also performs at a lot of private corporate events.
Jackie Evancho Is Bigger Than A Winner
Jackie Evancho has done better for herself post-AGT than most winning contestants. Jackie was the runner-up on the fifth season of America's Got Talent. Since 2009, she put out a platinum-selling EP and she's released eight studio albums.
Her eighth album, titled The Debut, features songs from Broadway musicals and musical films. She started touring to promote her new album in April of 2019. The album debuted at No.1 on the Billboard Classical Albums chart.
Emily West Has Kept Herself Busy
In 2014, Emily West came second on the ninth season America's Got Talent. Emily has been pretty busy since her stint on the show. She toured the U.S. with her one-woman show, and then with America's Got Talent Live: The All-Stars Tour!
She signed a record deal in 2014 and released an album in 2015. She's also released a whole bunch of singles and music videos. Emily's rocking pink hair at the moment, which we totally love.
Drew Lynch Has A Famous Dog
Drew Lynch was a runner-up on the tenth season of America's Got Talent. Now, he has a YouTube channel with nearly 2 million subscribers. Lynch posts vlogs featuring his service dog, Stella. He also posts comedic videos.
In 2017, he began starring in a flash animation series called Therapy Dog in which an animated Stella plays his character's therapist. Drew is living his best life. You can keep up with Drew and Stella on Drew's YouTube channel or on his Instagram page.
Angelica Hale Is Going To Be In A Movie
Angelica Hale, the runner-up on the twelfth season of America's Got Talent, hasn't really stopped performing since her season of the show ended. She's performed at football games, on talk shows, on stage, and on-screen.
Hale filmed her first movie, "American Reject", in 2018 in New Orleans, LA. The film will most likely come out in the fall of 2019. She also voices the title character in a new animated series called "Maya Unstoppable" which is set to come out in 2019.
Zurcaroh Made Austria Proud
The dance crew known as Zurcaroh is led by brilliant choreographer Peterson da Cruz Hora. This team came in second place on the thirteenth season of America's Got Talent. Even though they didn't take home the big prize, they started the season off with a bang when they got the golden buzzer during their 2017 audition.
After the show, they released a short movie on their YouTube channel and rose to international fame. This group never stops performing.
Taylor Williamson
Comedian Taylor Williamson was the runner-up on the eighth season of America's Got Talent. Taylor may not have won the show, but he did win a bunch of loyal fans, including one very famous fan by the name of Heidi Klum. On the tenth anniversary special of the show, Heidi named Taylor as her all-time favorite act.
Taylor also returned to the AGT stage as a guest on seasons nine and thirteen. Taylor is still performing, and you can keep up with him via Instagram.
