Richard Goodall, a 55-year-old janitor and a passionate karaoke singer from Terre Haute, left all the acts behind as he emerged victorious as the season 19 winner. For his final performance, Richard sang Don’t Stop Believing by Journey, alongside Neal Schon and other members of the popular band.
Fans of America’s Got Talent took to X to comment on Richard’s finale win. Some think he deserved it while others thought he won only because people sympathized with his journey.
“Worst finale in quite sometime. Prerecorded for apparently no reason and we had to wait a week – all to see a glorified karaoke singer win. I like Richard as a person and think he has a unique voice but come on,” one fan said.
“For his sake, it’s cool that Richard Goodall won. Seems like a good guy and it’s hugely life-changing for a guy who works as a janitor. Nice to see lives transformed and dreams come true. But… He’s a 2nd-3rd tier cover singer which is not a pay-to-see Vegas act,” said another.
“To our newest winner: Richard is a bad winner. Shouldn’t have won. Rode a flimsy sob story to the title and more power to him. We have a singer (cover nonetheless) in the winner circle for the first time in 5 years. A drought I didn’t think was possible,” a third fan said.
