Richard Goodall may be one of the most humble people to ever win America’s Got Talent. In fact, he’s so humble that he almost didn’t Audition. Thankfully, some encouragement and a shocking prediction from his now-wife brought him to California for the life-changing experience.
Goodall, known affectionately as the shy singing janitor from Terre Haute, Indiana, used his surprising voice to go all the way to the winner’s circle in Season 19 of AGT. Speaking to NBC Insider, Goodall confessed that he had “no expectations” for himself going into his now-iconic Audition. However, the kids at the school he works at as well as the woman who he married just days before the Finale, Angie Vanoven, knew something big was going to happen.
“At my age, it was a culmination. Between the kids and then Ang,” he explained shortly after winning. “You don’t choose TV, TV chooses you. And when they come-a-calling Ang said ‘You’ve got to go.’”
Thanks to that encouragement, Goodall boarded a plane for the first time in his life. However, she sent him off with more than just encouragement. She gave him a prediction that ultimately came true.
“And she said, before I got on that plane, she said ‘You’re gonna get a Golden Buzzer, you know that?’” Goodall revealed. “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 video for a memory. And then look at me now!”
As fans know, Goodall went on to earn Heidi Klum’s Golden Buzzer with his cover of Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin.’” After that, he went on to sing the song again live on the AGT Stage alongside Neal Schon and members of Journey. A moment he confessed made him feel like “a rockstar” before he learned America voted for him to win it all.
So, given Angie’s prediction, it’s not surprising to learn that Richard wanted to make getting hitched a part of his time on AGT.
“We had been together for quite a while and she and I wanted to make it a part of our experience here in California because I had never been to California, I think she had been briefly years ago, and it just seemed poignant to make it a part of the whole experience that we’ve had here,” Goodall explained to NBC Insider.
So, he flew in his now-wife, her sister, his best friend, his grandson and gathered some of the behind-the-scenes AGT folks that he said became like family to him during his time on the show for a private, intimate ceremony that made Richard feel like a winner even before he was crowned the champion of AGT 2024.
“I just had an absolutely amazing time with all these people out here and anybody who is even remotely thinking about it, if you’ve got even just a little bit of talent and you think that you might have something, give it a shot!” he said. “I mean, I’m going to be 55 in October and look at me… Six months ago, I would have thought you were crazy and look at me now. It was just because Ang said ‘Get on that plane and make it happen.’”
He concluded: Just don’t sell yourself short. At least, bare minimum, give it a shot. Don’t be that person who says ‘Well I could have done this and I didn’t do it.’ Take the shot. What have you got to lose?”