Since 2006, viewers have tuned into NBC’s “America’s Got Talent” to watch a wide range of performers—singers, dancers, comedians, magicians, animal wranglers, and many more—showcase their chops in front of a panel of celebrity judges for a chance at stardom. The competition show puts a spotlight on talented (and maybe not so talented) people of all ages and walks of life as they present an act of their choosing to the judges. Original judges included Piers Morgan, David Hasselhoff, and Brandy Norwood; currently, Simon Cowell (the show’s co-creator and executive producer), Howie Mandel, Heidi Klum, and Sofía Vergara sit at the judges’ table.
Do you have a talent that you think would knock the judges off of their seats? Casting for Season 20 is currently underway. To learn more about how to audition (as well as get some advice), let this guide be your go-to resource.
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With Season 20 of “AGT” on the horizon, rumors of casting shake-ups continue to swirl, as showrunners ponder the idea of replacing one or more judges. But as of Season 19, the “AGT” cast includes:
- Terry Crews (host)
- Simon Cowell (judge)
- Heidi Klum (judge)
- Howie Mandel (judge)
- Sofía Vergara (judge)
Each participant is given up to 90 seconds to demonstrate their talent, which is evaluated by the judges. Each judge has a buzzer they hit if they disapprove of the act; if all judges buzz the performer, the audition is over. At the end of each audition, the judges give feedback and vote; based on majority vote, the auditioner is either eliminated or allowed to move on to the next round.
Many rounds of auditions are held across several cities in the United States, leading up to the Judges’ Auditions. Performers who make it to the live rounds are divided up into groups and compete against each other. Relying on votes from the public, the eventual winner of the competition earns a cash prize and the opportunity to headline a show in Las Vegas.
Because “America’s Got Talent” mines performers of all kinds from across the country by holding casting calls at large public venues and online, there isn’t one primary casting director. For each season, casting is conducted by teams, agencies, and producers in search of prospective contestants. Over the course of the series, there’ve been dozens of casting associates, assistants, senior directors, and coordinators. However, senior casting producer John Piermarini, a prominent figure behind the scenes, lent his expertise for identifying and recruiting emerging talent to more than 200 episodes between 2011 and 2024.
Much like other talent competition shows (“The X Factor,” “American Idol”), the preliminary auditions occur before judges or viewers see anything. Potential contestants begin their journey by showing their acts to production teams across the country, aka “producers’ auditions,” or sending in an audition tape online. It’s here that the independent group of behind-the-scenes producers decide who makes it to TV.
“There is no better platform than ‘America’s Got Talent’ for discovering and showcasing the enormous diversity of talent our country has to offer,” said executive producer Sam Donnelly. “There’s nothing on TV that compares to ‘AGT’ in terms of viewership numbers and life-changing ability. We not only showcase acts—we launch careers and change lives. I encourage anyone with a unique talent to come on out and audition for ‘AGT.’ ”
Theresa Graham, NBC’s manager of unscripted formats, told NBC Insider in 2022: “We want the best of the best, no matter what the talent is and no matter who they are. So we encourage everybody with any talent to audition. And if it’s something that we love, something that we think America will love, we will put them in front of the judges. We just want to really represent America and the great and diverse talent that we have out there.”
Casting for Season 20 has begun! “AGT” held its first virtual audition on Dec. 6, with another date set for Jan. 24, 2025. (Register here.) On Jan. 12, 2025, “AGT” will also hold in-person auditions in Pasadena, California. (Register here.)
For those who’d prefer to submit a video audition, you can do so here. And if you happen to know an act that would wow the “AGT” team, you can nominate them here. For news on the latest audition opportunities, be sure to follow “AGT” on Instagram and Twitter.
It’s also important to note you don’t have to be American to be on “America’s Got Talent.” “Talent comes from everywhere,” former “AGT” supervising digital producer Adam Davis told Reality Blurred. “Talent is everywhere here in the States, and people come from everywhere here in the States, and as long as they have the right visa, they can audition for ‘America’s Got Talent.’ ”
Davis also told Reality Blurred that he wants performers “to believe in themselves, to not listen to the voices in their head that say: Hey, you’re not good enough for ‘AGT.’ You’re not good enough to beat that act that you saw tonight; don’t go audition.” The highlight of his job has been “inspiring people and encouraging people who otherwise wouldn’t audition for our show to audition.”
Davis recommends taking advantage of the opportunity to audition online, too. “If you mess up, you’re not messing up sitting in front of a producer,” he said. “You can press record again…. We are not at the luxury of being able to go to every single state on our audition tour. We want people to feel like they have that chance, to take that chance, even if it’s just them with their iPhone in their bathroom recording them singing. That’s an audition that can happen…. If someone is submitting that video but their talent is better than the person we saw in person, it comes down to the talent.”
To that end, Davis suggests showcasing your talent on your social accounts. “I live and breathe social media,” he added, “and [when]ever we see [someone] that is starting to go viral, we’ll take note of it and we’ll see if they register to audition, and then we’ll reach out to see if they want to audition.”
Season 11 winner Grace VanderWaal, who took judges by storm with her ukulele-playing, singing, and songwriting in 2016, offered some pointers to fellow auditioners: “Wear an outfit that makes you feel confident…. If I really like what I’m wearing, I do my best…. Listen to some pump-up music before you go on to get all motivated and excited. My third tip is to be with calm people…. Another tip is to warm up. If you play an instrument, play some scales. If you're a juggler, juggle a little bit, shake it out. My last tip is to have fun and make sure to be yourself. Don’t try to be anything that you are not. It won’t go well.”
Season 19 winner Richard Goodall, the singing janitor who earned the Golden Buzzer, rocked the crowd every time he stepped foot onstage—and now he wants other hopefuls to know they can do it, too. “Now is a great time—no matter who you are, what kind of talent you’ve got—to audition,” Goodall told NBC Insider. “I mean, if an absolute regular person like me can audition, go through each round, and then ultimately win, I mean, anybody can. Not to say that they couldn’t do that before, but you know, since I did it, I pulled it off, I mean, wow… And all you have to do is go to agtauditions.com,” he added. “There’s no better time to audition than now, because if a regular, ordinary person like me can beat out some of those Vegas acts that try out and get through auditions and do different stuff—if I can do it, anybody can do it.”