At the end of September 24’s Live Finale, Host Terry Crews announced that Richard Goodall is the winner of AGT 2024, taking home the $1 million dollar prize.
“What a way to end on this rollercoaster,” Goodall told NBC Insider just minutes after his win. “Just absolutely amazing.”
Winning AGT is an exciting accomplishment, but it’s especially thrilling when you’ve just married the love of your life. Goodall and fiancé Angie Vanoven tied the knot on September 18, just one day after his Finals performance, and the heartfelt rock ballad he chose to sing could not have been more appropriate
The “singing janitor,” as he’s affectionately known, chose the hit song “Faithfully” by Journey, returning to the band that first wowed the Judges in the Auditions and earned him Heidi Klum’s Golden Buzzer. As he crooned, “Oh girl, you stand by me / I’m forever yours / Faithfully,” they were transfixed, and the audience swayed back and forth, waving hundreds of glowing phone screens.
Ahead of his performance, the middle school janitor practically had to pinch himself to make sure it was not all a dream.
“Before AGT, my life was very normal… I would have never thought any of this up. Never. You’re just doing what you do. You don’t think you’re all that special. This is something you see in movies, and here I am,” the 55-year-old said during the Finals performance episode.
Richard Goodall with member of Journey Deen Castronovo appear on America’s Got Talent Season 19 Episode 20 “Finale Results”. Photo: Trae Patton/NBC
He later told us, “Ang and I are just gonna take things as they come and see where this whole journey takes us… At my age it was a culmination between the kids and then Ang. And then, you don’t choose TV, TV chooses you. When they come a calling Ang said you got to go. Before I got on that plane she said, ‘you’re gonna get a Golden Buzzer, you know that?’ And I was like, ‘yeah, right.’ And so I was just gonna fly on a plane, sing a song and fly home, and have a nice little YouTube videofor a memory. And then look at me now.”
To celebrate his triumph, let’s look back at Goodall’s AGT journey this season, from his Audition to the Finals:
Richard Goodall’s Audition
Goodall’s debut will go down in AGT history as one of the most surprising. The Indiana native was almost too nervous to sing, but after a pep talk from Judge Simon Cowell, he launched into an epic cover of Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin,” earning Klum’s Golden Buzzer.
Richard Goodall’s Quarterfinals performance
Once again, he hit all the high notes with a cover of Michael Bolton’s “How Am I Supposed to Live Without You,” dedicating his performance to Vanoven, who was in the audience for the first time after recovering from a serious health scare. Goodall described his rendition as a “softer, more intimate version” of the hit song to NBC Insider.
“I had such a tough time keeping it together, probably more so than last time. But having her being there meant the world to me,” he said.
Richard Goodall’s Semifinal performance
Goodall came back stronger than ever with a cover of “Eye of the Tiger” by Survivor, a song originally written for the film Rocky III. With determination in his eye and pep in his step, Goodall commanded the stage.
“I just want to come. I want to sing. I want to have a good time. I want to make people feel something,” he told NBC Insider, and he accomplished just that.
Richard Goodall’s Final Act
The shy janitor who told us he “didn’t have any expectations” when he joined the competition proved just how far he had come when he belted out Journey’s “Faithfully” and transformed into a rock star before America. “You are such an amazing man. You’re so humble. You’re so kind. You’re also a little bit quiet,” said Klum after his performance, adding, “but when you’re behind that microphone, then you are big! Rock star!”
“Wow, wow, wow. Richard, I can feel the energy behind me,” said Cowell, marveling at the deafening screams of the crowd. This time around, there was no need for a pep talk from the Judge. “You never crumbled; you haven’t. You’ve risen. We all need a hero right now, and you are our hero,” he told the singer.
Richard Goodall performs during Season 19 Episode 19 of America’s Got Talent. Photo: Trae Patton/NBC
Ever fond of predictions, Howie Mandel called it when he said, “I think you just sang yourself one million dollars.”
When speaking about his song choice with NBC Insider, Goodall revealed: “It’s a song that I had been singing to Ang for a very, very long time. And I started with Journey, I wanted to end the competition with Journey. And then little did I know I was going to be putting a big footnote at the end of the book… Phenomenal.”
