TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV) – America’s Got Talent is about to reveal its Season 19 winner. Among the 10 final acts is Terre Haute singing janitor, Richard Goodall.
He’s wowed the judges over the past several months and wowed viewers of the show to keep voting for him after singing songs like Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’ ” and Survivors “Eye of the Tiger.”
The journey to this point has taken months. Back in May, WTWO learned the West Vigo Middle School janitor was about to make an appearance as a contestant on AGT. It was all thanks to a Tik Tok video of him singing to students.
“She come up with the kindergarten teachers and they said that it was at 100,000 thousand views and I said is that good and she said that she didn’t even have 1,000 followers. By the end of that weekend, it was a million,” Richard Goodall explained back in May when WTWO interviewed him while he worked.
What Goodall could not tell us back then, was that he’d received a golden buzzer from AGT judge Heidi Klum. It sent him straight to the quarter-final round.
After appearing on the show, we helped him celebrate at WTWO’s TV station and we learned Goodall did not have reliable transportation. So, WTWO surprised Goodall at a send-off party when he was set to return to California. Thanks to help from country singer Walker Hayes, Richard received a new SUV.
“It just made total sense after we found out that Richard was struggling in the vehicle department, it just made sense to figure out a way to get this guy a car,” Walker Hayes said.
After succeeding in the quarter-finals, Goodall came home to a welcome back rally at the school he’d cleaned for many years. He spoke to students and staff sharing an inspiring message.
“You can achieve anything you want at any age and it don’t matter what you look like. It don’t matter what color your hair is, what color your eyes are. If you just keep going and perfect what you do, where you’re at eventually at some point, someone is going to notice,” said Goodall.
It was then back to AGT’s semi-finals and onto the finale where he was much loved by the judges.
“He was a hero genuinely. He’s like the man who stood up for every underdog out there,” said AGT judge Simon Cowell.
“He touches my heart, my soul and I just know he touched everyone else’s heart and soul at home too.”
He’s also loved by many people, but he says, he’s not letting the fame effect him.
“I’m gonna stay that humble person. No matter what I’m doing or where I’m at,” added Goodall.
You can watch the America’s Got Talent results show Tuesday, Sept. 24 on WTWO. A recap of Season 19 takes place at 8 p.m. (EST.) and the results show follows at 9 p.m.
