America’s Got Talent / YouTube
Meet Richard Goodall, The Janitor Who Wowed Millions With His Golden Buzzer Audition On America’s Got Talent
Janitor Richard Goodall’s entire life changed when he auditioned for Season 19 of America’s Got Talent and got one of the judges to press the Golden Buzzer for his performance.
55-year-old Goodall is a janitor at West Vigo Middle School in Indiana, where the kids call him “Mr. Richard.” He enjoys singing in his free time, and as the world now knows, he has an amazing voice!
Goodall took a leap of faith and decided to share his talent on AGT. The janitor, who flew on a plane for the first time to attend his audition, told host Terry Crews backstage:
“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.“
America’s Got Talent
Goodall was understandably nervous as he took to the stage and stood before judges Simon Cowell, Howie Mandel, Hedi Klum, and Sofia Vergara. But those nerves melted away as soon as he started singing.
Goodall fittingly chose to sing “Don’t Stop Believin’” by the rock band Journey. The song perfectly showcased his powerful voice, leaving the judges and audience in awe.
In fact, Klum was so moved by Goodall’s unbelievable performance that she stepped up to press the Golden Buzzer for his audition. Each judge can only press the Golden Buzzer twice, proving how much faith Klum has in Goodall’s talent.
Viewers at home also expressed their love for Goodall’s performance. The official YouTube video of his Golden Buzzer audition has nearly 8.3 million views as of this writing.
AGT Janitor Reacts To His Newfound Fame
As a recipient of the Golden Buzzer, Goodall gets to skip straight to the live shows, which start on August 13.
The janitor now joins the likes of past Golden Buzzer recipients such as Darci Lynne, Angelina Jordan, Chapel Hart, and Nightbirde.
After his audition aired, Goodall appeared on WTWO and WAWV TV’s Good Day Live to speak about his newfound fame. He shared his disbelief over everything that happened during and after his audition, saying:
“After the show has aired, there has been so much support. I cannot answer all of the messages that have come across, like thousands and thousands.”
While millions of people have now watched him sing, Goodall says he’s still the same person he was before his AGT audition.
“How could I possibly become a diva? I’m not; that is not going to happen,” he said. “I am not a fancy person—I never have been, and I never will be. I am a basic person just like everyone else.”
He added, “I am still me and I am at West Vigo Middle School right now and I don’t know how you wrap your head around that.”
Goodall also shared how he managed to overcome his nerves during his audition. “I went to my music. When I hear Journey, Foreigner, and Survivor music it centers me, calms me down, and lets me know that I am okay.”
Everything certainly turned out “okay” after Goodall took a chance by performing for the judges on AGT. Watch the 55-year-old janitor talk more about his Golden Buzzer moment in the video below.
