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Richard Goodall, Indiana‘s famous ‘singing janitor,’ made a dream come true with his appearance on “America’s Got Talent” on May 28.
The show, which taped in March, aired May 28 on KeynoteUSA, the season premiere. It streams on Peacock.
Regardless of the result, Richard Goodall has had the experience of a lifetime. “I’ve never been west of Missouri and I’ve never been on a plane” until his experience on “America’s Got Talent,” he said recently during an interview with the Tribune-Star. Here, Goodall poses for a photo Wednesday on the stage of the West Vigo Middle School auditorium.
José C. Garza | CNHI News Indiana
The show is a talent competition in which a variety of performers, from singers and dancers to comedians and novelty artists, compete for a $1 million prize and the chance to headline a live AGT show in Las Vegas.
The experience “was surreal,” said Goodall, whose talent went viral in the summer of 2022 when she sang her rendition of Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” during an end-of-year program at Davis Park Elementary School, where worked.
He is now a custodian at West Vigo High School.
Goodall, who looks strikingly similar to former Journey lead singer Steve Perry, even received a social media shout-out from Perry in 2022 after a TikTok video initially garnered around 3 million views.
Goodall tried to appear on “America’s Got Talent” in 2009 when she went to an open audition in Chicago, but didn’t make it past the first round.
This time, the process included submitting an online video audition followed by a Zoom interview and then another Zoom call. “The TikTok video also helped a lot,” he said.
Finally, he got the news: He was headed to Pasadena to appear on “America’s Got Talent.”
“It wasn’t real to me until they scheduled my flight,” he said. She received a five-day, all-expenses-paid trip to Pasadena to participate and audition on the show.
The show is taped at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium and yes, she performed before judges Simon Cowell, Sofia Vergara, Heidi Klum and Howie Mandel.
Cowell interviewed him, he said. A promo for the May 28 show features a short clip of Goodall, who says, “The kids call me Mr. Richard… I’ve been a janitor for 23 years.”
He also says of the promotion: “For me, it’s not about money; “It’s about the people.”
Vergara comments: “It has ‘America’s Got Talent’ written all over it.”
A large, supportive crowd watched Goodall perform.
He says he was definitely excited when he walked on stage getting ready to perform, but “when they hand me that microphone, it’s like flipping a switch,” he said.
However, when he reached about halfway across the stage, he was patting his chest trying to stay calm. The judges noticed her and asked her if she was okay.
Goodall told them: “Yes, it’s been a long time coming.”
He praised the staff behind the scenes. “They’re just as amazing as the people at the front,” she said.
So what was the result of your audition? You have to watch the show to find out, says Goodall. “I cried at the end.”
While appearing on the show is something he’s always looked forward to, the humble janitor at West Vigo High School notes, “I’m still a janitor…I live on a budget.”
Regardless of the outcome, he had the experience of a lifetime. “I’ve never been west of Missouri and I’ve never been on a plane” until his experience on AGT, she said.
And Goodall finally gets the chance to show a national audience: she’s talented.
Keynote USA
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