‘America’s Got Talent’ Judges on How Adding a Second Golden Buzzer Has Changed the Game (Exclusive)
Written by Rtradio on May 28, 2024
America’s Got Talent is returning for its 19th season on Tuesday, and the slate of stalwart judges are going to have the chance to make more dreams come true than ever before!
This season, fans will see some of the biggest and best acts in the country vying for a shot at going all the way. For the first time ever, the judges — including Howie Mandel, Heidi Klum, Sofia Vergara and Simon Cowell — as well as host Terry Crews, will get two Golden Buzzers to help their favorite acts get even farther along.
ET spoke with the judges on the AGT red carpet ahead of the season 19 audition rounds, and they opened up about why the second Golden Buzzer rule is a real game changer.
“I thought at the beginning that we didn’t really need it,” Vergara admitted. “I thought, ‘Oh, it’s gonna lose a little bit of the excitement for it.’ But, you know what, the [contestants] are getting so good that you always feel like you want another one! So I think it was a great idea.”
Crews echoed Vergara’s sentiments, explaining, “There is so much great talent! There are so many times we were like, ‘We’re out of buzzers!?’ You know what I mean?”
“Talent is subjective. When you put a singer next to a dancer, next to a danger act, next to a magician — they each need their own buzzer!” Crews added. “I just think it’s perfect! And I’ve said this before, AGT is consistently evolving… [and] it’s getting better every time a new evolution comes out.”
“I love having that second Golden Buzzer!” Klum marveled. “Because, you know, it’s already hard to make up your mind with one act!”
“There’s [so many] amazing acts, and every time I see someone that I love I’m like, ‘Oh, should I push it? Should I push it?'” Klum added. “[Now] it’s so nice to know I have another opportunity.”
“It’s hard to impress us [now],” Mandel chimed in. “I feel, as somebody who’s been on the show for 15 seasons, I am probably the most jaded… [But] every year I am pleasantly surprised by somebody just blowing the roof off the place and dropping my jaw to the desk.”
Which is why Mandel is looking forward to having two Golden Buzzers this time around.
“Years ago, we didn’t have a Golden Buzzer. And then, when we were given the opportunity to give Golden Buzzers, it was like it amped up the stakes that much more,” shared Mandel, referring to the show’s 10th season, when the new rule was first introduced.
“That [change] was a highlight for me,” Mandel said. “So to double that highlight just sends this season to a whole new level!”
Cowell — who created AGT and also serves as an executive producer on the series — came up with the idea for the second Golden Buzzer, and explained to ET that the idea came to him when he considered “the amount of time and effort these people put into this act and where this can go.”
“People fly in from all over the world, as well as the American artists, and you are seeing the [amazing] things,” Cowell gushed about the magic of the show. “The 70 times I’ve just gone, ‘How did you come up with that idea?!’ That’s what I love about the show, you know? It continues to surprise you.”
America’s Got Talent season 19 premieres Tuesday, May 28 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on NBC.
Fans can also follow along with ET’s live blog as we break down all the biggest and best moments of the premiere!
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