America’s Got Talent is an American talent show broadcasted on the NBC television network since 2006. The show received many positive reviews from the audience and the worldwide critics.
The show inspired many producers to recreate it to other countries. India’s Got Talent based on the AGT, and it offers the opportunity to the citizens to demonstrate the skills on a national stage.
America’s Got Talent Winners List (All 20 Seasons, 2006 – 2025)
Quick answer: Jessica Sanchez is the most recent winner of America’s Got Talent, taking the season 20 title on 24 September 2025 ahead of runner-up Chris Turner. She had first appeared on the show as a 10-year-old in season 1 back in 2006. Season 21 is on air now, and its winner will be revealed in the two-part final on 22 and 23 September 2026.
| Season | Year | Winner | Act | Runner-Up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2006 | Bianca Ryan | Singer | All That |
| 2 | 2007 | Terry Fator | Ventriloquist | Cas Haley |
| 3 | 2008 | Neal E. Boyd | Opera singer | Eli Mattson |
| 4 | 2009 | Kevin Skinner | Country singer | Barbara Padilla |
| 5 | 2010 | Michael Grimm | Singer | Jackie Evancho |
| 6 | 2011 | Landau Eugene Murphy Jr. | Singer | Silhouettes |
| 7 | 2012 | Olate Dogs | Dog act | Tom Cotter |
| 8 | 2013 | Kenichi Ebina | Dancer | Taylor Williamson |
| 9 | 2014 | Mat Franco | Magician | Emily West |
| 10 | 2015 | Paul Zerdin | Ventriloquist | Drew Lynch |
| 11 | 2016 | Grace VanderWaal | Singer-songwriter | The Clairvoyants |
| 12 | 2017 | Darci Lynne | Ventriloquist | Angelica Hale |
| 13 | 2018 | Shin Lim | Magician | Zurcaroh |
| 14 | 2019 | Kodi Lee | Singer and pianist | Detroit Youth Choir |
| 15 | 2020 | Brandon Leake | Spoken-word poet | Broken Roots |
| 16 | 2021 | Dustin Tavella | Magician | Aidan Bryant |
| 17 | 2022 | Mayyas | Dance group | Kristy Sellars |
| 18 | 2023 | Adrian Stoica and Hurricane | Dog act | Anna DeGuzman |
| 19 | 2024 | Richard Goodall | Singer | Roni Sagi and Rhythm |
| 20 | 2025 | Jessica Sanchez | Singer | Chris Turner |
| 21 | 2026 | Currently airing — winner revealed in the final on 23 September 2026 | ||
Photo Credit: NBC/Universal
Do you know every winner of the America’s Got Talent from 2003 to present? If the answer is NO, then we are going to list all AGT Winners List – All Seasons.
1] America’s Got Talent (Season 1) Winner: Bianca Ryan
11-year-old singer Bianca won the first-ever AGT on August 16, 2006. The winner of the show promised a studio album and it included the song “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going.” In 2016, Ryan underwent the knife to get abdominal surgery and there was a risk of esophageal cancer.
2] America’s Got Talent (Season 2) Winner: Terry Fator
The S2 winner Terry Fator won the title after stunning performances with ventriloquist/singing impressionist on August 21, 2007. Fortunately, the S2 went on having a successful career after winning the title.
Singing ventriloquist enabled him to get various types of jobs around the country and he never had to worry about the money.
Fator signed five-year deal with Las Vegas Strip to perform on nightly basis. Terry makes returns on AGT to perform with fellow singing ventriloquist & support others.
3] America’s Got Talent (Season 3) Winner: Neal Evans Boyd
The 32-year-old opera singer declared the winner of AGT S3 and he released studio album “My American Dream” in 2009. Evans performed for many political events and presidents.
Neal ran for Missouri House of Representatives in 2012, but Democrat Steve Hodges defeated him. Sadly, Boyd died at the age 42 on June 10, 2018. According to the Wikipedia page, the cause of death heart failure, kidney failure and liver disease.
4] America’s Got Talent (Season 4) Winner: Kevin Skinner
Skinner won AGT Season 4 on September 16, 2009. He is a singer and guitarist and Kevin defeated runner-up Barbara Padilla.
In 2010, he released an album called “Long Ride” after signing songs like “If Tomorrow Never Comes” and “Always on My Mind” on the show. Kevin went missing 2014 and the mental illness led his wife divorced him as well.
5] America’s Got Talent (Season 5) Winner: Michael Grimm
Photo Credit: NBC
Grimm is one of the moderate successful musician that risen to fame after AGT. He launched major label debut album and it has songs such as “Fallin’” by Alicia Keys and “Simple Man” by Lynyrd Skynyrd. Michael proposed his girlfriend on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show.”
6] America’s Got Talent (Season 6) Winner: Landau Eugene Murphy
The dance group Silhouettes were defeated by jazz singer Murphy on September 14, 2011. Landau released first-ever album in 2011 called “That’s Life,” and it ranked #1 on Billboard jazz album chart. Currently, Eugene touring in the country to perform jazz music and he is maintaining less mainstream nowadays.
7] America’s Got Talent (Season 7) Winner: Olate Dogs
Photo Credit: NBC
Olate Dogs won the hearts of the audience and they beat runner-up comedian Tom Cotter and musician William Close with majority of votes.
The Olate Dogs left home with $1,00,000 million-prize money and they make occasional television appearance. Judge Osbourne is a lover dog and she joking said, “I’m going to keep one of the dogs.”
8] America’s Got Talent (Season 8) Winner: Kenichi Ebina
Ebina maintains a low profile in media is the S8 winner. He won against stand-up comedian Taylor Williamson after receiving majority of the public votes.
Kenichi is a Japanese performance artist and he is performing on various stages around the world. Ebina launched an app called “Dance-ish Me” similar to JibJab that lets the users to upload photos in various dance positions.
9] America’s Got Talent (Season 9) Winner: Mat Franco
The 25-year-old magician Franco won the AGT Season 9 on September 17, 2014. Mat defeated Emily West with a majority of votes from the audience. The card tricks magician headlined LINQ Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas in 2015. The Las Vegas Review Journal named his performances as the best magic show in 2016.
On July 10th 2017, the LINQ took a further step respect the AGT winner by officially naming “Mat Franco Theater.” The LINQ also declared July 10th as “Mat Franco Day.”
10] America’s Got Talent (Season 10) Winner: Paul Zerdin
Zerdin is a a 42-year-old ventriloquist and he defeated stand-up comedian Drew Lynch with majority of public votes.
The puppet master travelling all around the world with his group to perform on the stages. Paul headlined Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Vegas and one of his shows got calcelled due to low attendence.
11] America’s Got Talent (Season 11) Winner: Grace VanderWaal
Waal is the winner of AGT S11 after breating The Clairvoyants & Jon Dorenbos in the finale. Grace is the second female to win the “AGT” and she is known for clever actions and young talent.
VanderWaal said that she is going to spend the money on charity and buy three houses. The young talent appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in September 2016.
Waal won Choice Next Big Thing at the Teen Choice Awards in 2017. She won MTV Europe Music Awards for “Best Push Artist” in 2018.
Waal released “Perfectly Imperfect” in December 2016 and it landed on ninth Billboard album charts. Grace released “So Much More Than This” in 2017 and she is growing in her career.
Currently, Grace has over 2 million subscirbers on YouTube and millions of followers on social media.
12] America’s Got Talent (Season 12) Winner: Darci Lynne Farmer
Farmer is the winner of Season 12 AGT on September 20, 2017. The 12-year-old ventriloquist won the heart of audience by performing. Darci beat 10-year-old singer Angelica Hale in season finale.
In November 2017, Darci announced that they are going for a national tour stating with five locations. However, the team later announced that they will continue the tour in 46 locations. The tours take place from January 2018 to January 2019 and it includes 9 Christmas performances in November and December.
Farmar appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in September 2017 as a guest. In Jeff Dunham’s October video, Farmer appeared in the “The Haunted House on Dunham Hill” with three puppets for trick-or-treating.
Terry Fator invited Farmer to perform with him at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa, Catoosa, Oklahoma.
13] America’s Got Talent (Season 13) Winner: Shin Lim
Lim is a professional close-up magician that mesmerized millions of people around the world. He defeated runner-up acrobatic group Zurcaroh with public votes in 2018. Shin is the second individual to win the America’s Got Talent after Mat Franco in Season 9.
Shin is active since 2010 and he won Merlin Award for “Best Close-Up Magician” of 2018. Lim engaged to Australian dancer Casey Thomas and he proposed her infront of 2000 people during House of Magic in Macau. Shin lives in Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America.
14] America’s Got Talent (Season 14) Winner: Kodi Lee
- Winner: Kodi Lee.
- Runner-up: Detroit Youth Choir.
- Third place: Ryan Niemiller.
I’m watching #AGT in my dorm room at @michiganstateu!! I hope your watching it with me…#heckyeah @gabunion #goldenbuzzer #collegelife #michiganstatefootball pic.twitter.com/q65Fhe3h3T
— Kodi Lee (@Kodileerocks) 17 July 2019
15] America’s Got Talent (Season 15) Winner: Brandon Leake
Brandon Leake became the first spoken-word poet to win America’s Got Talent when he took the season 15 title in September 2020. A poet and educator from Stockton, California, he built his auditions around his own family, and the piece he wrote about his late sister earned Howie Mandel’s golden buzzer.
The season was reshaped by the coronavirus pandemic, with the later rounds recorded without a live studio audience. The duo Broken Roots finished as runners-up.
16] America’s Got Talent (Season 16) Winner: Dustin Tavella
Dustin Tavella won season 16 in September 2021, becoming the third magician to take the title after Mat Franco and Shin Lim. His routines leaned on storytelling rather than spectacle, and his final performance was built around the story of his adopted son.
Aidan Bryant, a self-taught aerialist who had learned his craft from online videos, was the runner-up.
17] America’s Got Talent (Season 17) Winner: Mayyas
The Mayyas, a dance troupe from Lebanon, won season 17 in September 2022. The all-female group had already won Arabs Got Talent before arriving on the American show, and their tightly drilled formation routines earned Sofia Vergara’s golden buzzer.
They remain one of the few group acts to win the competition. Pole dancer Kristy Sellars finished as runner-up.
18] America’s Got Talent (Season 18) Winner: Adrian Stoica and Hurricane
Adrian Stoica and his dog Hurricane won season 18 in September 2023, making them only the second dog act to win America’s Got Talent after Olate Dogs in 2012. Stoica, who is Romanian and based in Italy, built the act around comic timing as much as obedience.
Card magician Anna DeGuzman was the runner-up.
19] America’s Got Talent (Season 19) Winner: Richard Goodall
Richard Goodall, a middle-school janitor from Terre Haute, Indiana, won season 19 in September 2024. He had already gone viral singing in his school gym, and he auditioned with the same song, Journey’s Don’t Stop Believin’.
His run through the live rounds made him one of the more unlikely champions in the show’s history. The dog act Roni Sagi and Rhythm finished second.
20] America’s Got Talent (Season 20) Winner: Jessica Sanchez
Jessica Sanchez won season 20 on 24 September 2025, and her win closed a loop that had been open for nineteen years. She first appeared on America’s Got Talent in season 1 in 2006, as a 10-year-old who reached the semi-finals, and she went on to finish as runner-up on American Idol in 2012 before returning to the show that started her career.
She was nine months pregnant when she performed in the final. Chris Turner was the runner-up and Jourdan Blue finished third.
America’s Got Talent Season 21 (2026): Winner Not Yet Crowned
Season 21 premiered on NBC on 2 June 2026 and is still on air, so it has no winner yet. The two-part final is scheduled for 22 and 23 September 2026 at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium, with the ten finalists performing on the first night and host Terry Crews revealing the champion on the second.
We will add the season 21 winner to this list once NBC announces the result.
America’s Got Talent Winners by Type of Act
Across twenty completed seasons the show has crowned a wide spread of acts, but singers have taken the title far more often than any other kind of act.
| Type of Act | Wins | Winners |
|---|---|---|
| Singers | 9 | Bianca Ryan (2006), Neal E. Boyd (2008), Kevin Skinner (2009), Michael Grimm (2010), Landau Eugene Murphy Jr. (2011), Grace VanderWaal (2016), Kodi Lee (2019), Richard Goodall (2024), Jessica Sanchez (2025) |
| Ventriloquists | 3 | Terry Fator (2007), Paul Zerdin (2015), Darci Lynne (2017) |
| Magicians | 3 | Mat Franco (2014), Shin Lim (2018), Dustin Tavella (2021) |
| Dog acts | 2 | Olate Dogs (2012), Adrian Stoica and Hurricane (2023) |
| Dance acts | 2 | Kenichi Ebina (2013), Mayyas (2022) |
| Spoken-word poets | 1 | Brandon Leake (2020) |
America’s Got Talent Winners: Facts and Records
- Most successful type of act: singers, with 9 wins from 20 seasons.
- Ventriloquists and magicians: three wins each, which is more than their share of finalists would suggest.
- Dog acts: two winners, Olate Dogs in 2012 and Adrian Stoica and Hurricane in 2023.
- Only poet to win: Brandon Leake, in season 15 in 2020.
- Youngest champions: Grace VanderWaal in 2016 and Darci Lynne in 2017 were both 12 when they won.
- The only returning champion: Jessica Sanchez reached the season 1 semi-finals in 2006 as a 10-year-old and came back to win season 20 in 2025.
- The prize: advertised at one million dollars, traditionally paid either as an annuity spread over 40 years or as a smaller immediate lump sum, with recent winners also given a headline slot in Las Vegas.
America’s Got Talent is one branch of a much larger franchise, and we keep the same running lists for Britain’s Got Talent, India’s Got Talent and The X Factor.
America’s Got Talent Winners: Frequently Asked Questions
Who won America’s Got Talent in 2025?
Jessica Sanchez won season 20 of America’s Got Talent on 24 September 2025. The singer beat runner-up Chris Turner, with Jourdan Blue finishing third. She had first appeared on the show in 2006, as a 10-year-old semi-finalist in season 1.
Who has won America’s Got Talent?
Twenty acts have won America’s Got Talent, starting with singer Bianca Ryan in 2006 and running through to Jessica Sanchez in 2025. The full list of winners and runners-up for every season is in the table above.
When will the America’s Got Talent season 21 winner be announced?
Season 21 runs to a two-part final on 22 and 23 September 2026 at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium. The ten finalists perform on the first night and the winner is revealed on the second, so there is no season 21 champion yet.
What do America’s Got Talent winners actually win?
The headline prize is one million dollars. It has traditionally been paid either as a financial annuity spread over 40 years or as a smaller lump sum taken immediately, and recent champions have also received a headlining residency slot in Las Vegas.
Which type of act wins America’s Got Talent most often?
Singers. Nine of the twenty champions have been singers of one kind or another. Ventriloquists and magicians follow with three wins each, ahead of two dance acts, two dog acts and one spoken-word poet.
Has anyone competed on America’s Got Talent twice and won?
Jessica Sanchez is the clearest case. She reached the semi-finals of the very first season in 2006, finished as runner-up on American Idol in 2012, and then returned to win America’s Got Talent in 2025.
Who was the first magician to win America’s Got Talent?
Mat Franco, who won season 9 in 2014. Shin Lim followed in 2018 and Dustin Tavella in 2021, making magic the joint second most successful category on the show.
Conclusion
America’s Got Talent has now crowned twenty champions, and the twenty-first will be decided in the final on 23 September 2026. The AGT has offered opportunity to the citizens of the America to perform and demonstrate skills in front of the national audience. The show has given a new life to many young performers over the years.
