Being on America’s Got Talent is the opportunity of a lifetime, one that can completely change the course of your career.
Currently helmed by judges Sofia Vergara, Mel B, Simon Cowell and Howie Mandel, plus host Terry Crews, the talent competition has its milestone 20th season coming up.
Since its inception in 2006, it has had 461 episodes and thousands of contestants come through; last year, 44 acts competed in the live shows, which were narrowed down to ten finalists, and ultimately singer Richard Goodall won the $1 million prize and a new car.
Though the actual numbers are hard to determine, here is what we know about the highest-earning contestants.
Maybe one of the most successful acts has been Terry Fator, a ventriloquist, impressionist, stand-up comedian, and singer who won the second season of the show, after which the Mirage in Las Vegas offered him a $100 million contract for a five-year residency. He currently hosts Terry Fator: One Man, a Hundred Voices, a Thousand Laughs! from Las Vegas, and has a reported, approximate net worth of $150 million.
Ten seasons after Terry made a name for himself as a ventriloquist, Darci Lynne Farmer famously brought it back to AGT — and won season 12 for it. She has since also added singing and songwriting to her oeuvre, and has a reported net worth of $8 million.
Another contestant — and fellow Las Vegas performer — that has made a fortune off of the show, is Mat Franco, a magician, who won season 9. The 36-year-old reportedly has an estimated net worth of $3 million.
One of the most recognizable faces and voices is Grace VanderWaal, who won the 11th season when she was only 12 years old. She has both continued singing and ventured into acting, and has a reported net worth of about $2 million.
When you’re the first ever winner of a beloved show, you’re bound to make some big bucks. That’s the case for Bianca Ryan, the first winner of AGT, when she was only 11 years old, and though she hasn’t released music since 2022, she has still amassed a reported, estimated net worth of $1-3 million.
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