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Richard Goodall, the Indiana school custodian who won America’s Got Talent Season 19, said the experience changed his life by showing him that his story could inspire people to take small chances. Before the finale, he described the change as personal and communal; after winning, he said his life had been transformed.
What Richard Goodall said about the change
In a September 10, 2024 interview with TV Insider, conducted before the semifinals, Goodall was asked what had changed since he tried out for the show. His answer began with the sudden attention: “Can’t walk through Walmart! [Laughs]” But he said the deeper change was “knowing I have inspired people to take small chances.”
Asked how he hoped his story would inspire others, he replied: “Taking small chances. Kindness and love above all.” Those comments came before the season’s result, so they capture what he valued about the experience regardless of the eventual win.
How a school performance led to AGT
Goodall worked as a custodian in Terre Haute, Indiana, and had been a janitor for 23 years by the time he spoke with NEA Today in October 2024. He had sung for students at school events. In his recollection, teachers invited him to choose a song for a 2022 school event, and he picked Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’.”
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- FAMILY GAME NIGHT ESSENTIAL: Add a hilarious twist to your family game night with this funny talent show card game. It's a laugh-out-loud battle of wits and creativity that will have everyone begging for an encore.
- 120 WACKY CHALLENGES: Endless nights of fun with 120 talent challenge cards separated into four categories: drawing, moving, performing, and singing. Each round, players vote for the funniest performance.
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Goodall recalled that the video was at 100,000 views the next morning and reached one million by the end of the weekend. He said Journey and former lead singer Steve Perry commented and Perry shared it when it reached three million views. These are Goodall’s remembered figures, not independently audited view counts.
He also said he was initially expected to appear on Season 18 but was dropped. After that season, Howie Mandel reposted the school video on TikTok, and a senior producer contacted Goodall about appearing on the next season.
Rank #2
- Features all your favorite Toy Story characters including Woody, Buzz Lightyear, Bo Peep, and the Aliens.
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From Golden Buzzer to Season 19 winner
Goodall auditioned with “Don’t Stop Believin’,” and judge Heidi Klum awarded him the Golden Buzzer. During the season, he performed songs including Michael Bolton’s “How Am I Supposed to Live Without You,” Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger” and Journey’s “Faithfully.”
At the Season 19 finale, Goodall won over dance duo Roni Sagi & Rhythm. The Los Angeles Times reported that he received the $1 million prize and a new car. He was 56, making him the oldest winner at that time. For the finale, he performed “Don’t Stop Believin’” with Journey co-founder Neal Schon and band members.
Rank #3
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Why he described the win as life-changing
After the finale, Goodall told the Los Angeles Times: “Simon [Cowell] says two minutes can change your life. My life has been transformed and I did it.” The statement marked a different moment from his pre-finale TV Insider interview: he was now reflecting on a completed season and a win, not only on the chance to encourage others.
In his later NEA Today interview, Goodall emphasized how people around him responded. He said families were gathering in front of their televisions and rooting for him, and described his hometown as excited about the victory. He also said opportunities were coming in and that life with his wife, Angie, felt unscripted.
Rank #4
- Play a card from your hand, and place a chip on a corresponding space on the game board - when you have five in a row, it’s a SEQUENCE
- Each player or team tries to score the required number of five-card SEQUENCES before their opponents
- Easy enough for children, challenging for adults!
- Exciting gameplay develops STEM skills like strategy
- Includes 1 Folding Game Board (19.75" x 15.25"), 2 Decks of SEQUENCE Playing Cards (2.25" x 3.5"), 135 Playing Chips (50 Green, 50 Blue, 35 Red), and Complete Instructions
The documented change, then, is both practical and personal: a national television platform, a competition victory and its reported prize, new opportunities, and the feeling that viewers and neighbors had rallied around him. The available accounts do not establish broader long-term effects on his career or finances.
Quick Recap
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