‘America’s Got Talent’ just revealed its newest winner

The top 10 acts on “America’s Got Talent” included acrobats, aerialists, drones, singers and more, but in the end, the show could only crown one winner.
On Tuesday night, the show revealed its newest champion. And based on how this act’s audition went viral — 25 million views on YouTube — the outcome shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise to fans.
Singer Richard Goodall is the Season 19 winner, claiming the $1 million prize and a headlining slot in Las Vegas.
“AGT” announced Goodall as the winner at the end of the two-hour season finale, which featured him performing “Don’t Stop Believin’” with Neal Schon, the sole remaining original member of Journey.
“Being who I am, a janitor for 23 years, now singing songs on TV and singing with Journey. I mean, you can’t make that stuff up,” the singer told Billboard following his win. “This is beyond surreal. I couldn’t dream up everything that’s happened to me. I mean, there’s a bucket list, and then there’s a bucket list that you didn’t even know existed.”
Goodall got on a plane for the first time in his life and flew from his home in Indiana to Los Angeles to audition for “AGT.” The move came after a video of him singing a Journey song at the middle school where he works went viral on TikTok — and even caught the attention of former Journey frontman Steve Perry, as the Deseret News previously reported.
“I’m not a fancy person. I take out the trash, I wipe off the tables, I sweep the floors. I’m just having fun and I’m trying to make people happy,” Goodall said in a clip that aired ahead of his “AGT” audition. “The kids would hear me sing and they’d tell me that I’ve got talent. That’s why I’m here. That’s why I got on a plane.”
Goodall was visibly nervous when his time came to perform in front of “AGT” judges Simon Cowell, Heidi Klum, Howie Mandel and Sofia Vergara. But after singing just the very first line of “Don’t Stop Believin’,” Goodall had the audience on its feet. By the end of the song, he was overcome with emotion as he heard all of the applause and cheers.
“Richard, you are my hero,” Cowell said. “Because that was special, genuinely special. I think America is going to love you.”
Klum proceeded to give her golden buzzer to Goodall, advancing him straight to the quarterfinals of the competition. Throughout his run on the show, he performed Michael Bolton’s “How Am I Supposed To Live Without You,” Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger” and Journey’s “Faithfully.”
“I have been faithfully your biggest fan since the very, very first day we met,” Klum said following Goodall’s finale performance. “You are such an amazing man. You’re so humble. You’re so kind. You’re also a little bit quiet, but not when you are behind that microphone. Then you are a big rock star. … I want you to win this so bad, Richard.”
Goodall quickly become a fan — and judge — favorite on “AGT” this season. Now, his time on “AGT” — something he says he never dreamed would happen — is inspiring others. And for the 55-year-old singer, that’s the best outcome he could’ve asked for.
“It makes me feel good,” he told TV Insider. “Meaning, I never dreamed that me, and my job, and me singing to the kids would impact the world the way it has. … My life has changed knowing I have inspired people to take small chances.”