# America's Got Talent
**America's Got Talent** (AGT) is an American reality talent competition on the NBC television network in which performers of any age, from singers and dancers to magicians, comedians, and novelty acts, compete for a $1 million cash prize[1](https://www.primevideo.com/detail/0L968728VKO8GO5S92IMJGHP56?tr=ca). It premiered on NBC on June 21, 2006, with [Regis Philbin](https://www.edgepedia.org/regis-philbin) as host[2](https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/secrets-of-americas-got-talent-and-its-20th-season), and was created by [Simon Cowell](https://www.edgepedia.org/simon-cowell)[3](https://otakukart.com/how-does-americas-got-talent-work-format-competition-and-prizes/). It is the American flagship of the [Got Talent](https://www.edgepedia.org/got-talent) franchise, which Guinness World Records recognized in 2014 as the most successful reality television format[4](http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/news/2014/4/simon-cowells-got-talent-confirmed-as-worlds-most-successful-reality-tv-format-56587).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| First aired | June 21, 2006, on NBC, hosted by Regis Philbin[2](https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/secrets-of-americas-got-talent-and-its-20th-season) |
| Creator | Simon Cowell[3](https://otakukart.com/how-does-americas-got-talent-work-format-competition-and-prizes/) |
| Prize | $1 million cash[1](https://www.primevideo.com/detail/0L968728VKO8GO5S92IMJGHP56?tr=ca) |
| First winner | Bianca Ryan, season 1 (finale August 17, 2006)[5](https://agt.fandom.com/wiki/America%27s_Got_Talent) |
| Season 21 (2026) panel | Judges Simon Cowell, Mel B, Howie Mandel, and Sofía Vergara, with host Terry Crews[6](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DoSBmrDGwDE) |
| Franchise reach | More than 70 versions broadcast in 194 countries and territories; seen by over 1 billion viewers globally[2](https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/secrets-of-americas-got-talent-and-its-20th-season) |
| Audience vote | Restricted to the United States and Puerto Rico, with up to 10 votes per person on each of the NBC site, the AGT app, and TikTok[7](https://help.nbc.com/hc/en-us/articles/360047996014-America-s-Got-Talent-Vote-Eligibility) • [8](https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/entertainment/tv-shows/a73463678/how-to-vote-agt-2026-season-21-online-app-tiktok/) |
## Format
The competition moves through three broad stages. Acts submit videos, audition virtually, or appear at in-person auditions; producers choose which of the hopefuls appear before the celebrity judges[9](https://www.documentarytube.com/blog/americas-got-talent-whats-production-shaped-whats-real-and-what-the-evidence-cannot-prove/). In the audition rounds, the judges vote at the end of each performance with a "yes" or a "no"; with a three-judge panel, two "yes" votes send an act through, and with a four-judge panel, three are required[5](https://agt.fandom.com/wiki/America%27s_Got_Talent). A judge can press a **Golden Buzzer**, which sends the act directly to the live shows[5](https://agt.fandom.com/wiki/America%27s_Got_Talent). In Season 20 (2025), each judge and the host could award two Golden Buzzers[2](https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/secrets-of-americas-got-talent-and-its-20th-season).
In the live rounds, judging passes to the audience. In Season 17, for example, eleven performers took the stage per live episode and viewers voted their favorites into the final round[10](https://www.nbc.com/americas-got-talent/episodes/season-17?lang=es). The franchise description applies generally: judges hold elimination power in early rounds, voting is shared between judges and public in the semifinal stages, and the country has the final say in the grand finale[11](https://one-download-bucket.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/FORMATS/Fremantle_Formats_Collection_2024_25_Digital.pdf).
**Voting rules.** America's Got Talent Vote is available in the United States and Puerto Rico only[7](https://help.nbc.com/hc/en-us/articles/360047996014-America-s-Got-Talent-Vote-Eligibility). In Season 21, viewers could vote up to ten times through the NBC website or the AGT app after each episode, with the window running until 7 a.m. ET the following morning, and up to ten times by commenting an act's name on the show's official TikTok post[8](https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/entertainment/tv-shows/a73463678/how-to-vote-agt-2026-season-21-online-app-tiktok/). TikTok voting was new that season[12](https://drawpie.com/blog/agt-vote-season-21-finale-results/).
## Season 21 and the Judges' Callbacks
Season 21 premiered on June 2, 2026, on NBC and Peacock[13](https://www.peacocktv.com/stream-tv/americas-got-talent?cid=2601aoalwsonpkpdsocial317683&epik=dj0yJnU9YlcxU0h4amRGWTF3c1d3M2t5Z2V5ak9QUnU3THEzUngmcD0xJm49WXpuZ2hLS2gyQU9ucjRxTS1CYWFFZyZ0PUFBQUFBR3BIN2VB&pp=0), with judges Simon Cowell, Mel B, Howie Mandel, and [Sofía Vergara](https://www.edgepedia.org/sofia-vergara) and host [Terry Crews](https://www.edgepedia.org/terry-crews) returning[6](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DoSBmrDGwDE). It introduced the first-ever Judges' Callbacks round: when the judges said yes to more acts than the live shows could hold, each judge chose a set of acts they wanted to see again, worked with them one-on-one, and hosted them at their homes before deciding who advanced to the live shows[14](https://www.cinemablend.com/television/simon-cowell-americas-got-talent-agt-season-21-callback-twist-feels-inspired-by-the-voice). Celebrity mentors including Normani, Poo Bear, Lele Pons, Sebastián Yatra, Emma Bunton, and [Nikki Glaser](https://www.edgepedia.org/nikki-glaser) advised the acts in that round[14](https://www.cinemablend.com/television/simon-cowell-americas-got-talent-agt-season-21-callback-twist-feels-inspired-by-the-voice).
Season 21 also removed every judge lever in the live rounds: no Live Golden Buzzers, no Wild Cards, and no saves, so the audience alone decided which acts reached the finale[8](https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/entertainment/tv-shows/a73463678/how-to-vote-agt-2026-season-21-online-app-tiktok/). The live quarterfinals ran from August 18 to September 8, the semifinals premiered on September 15, the final performances aired September 22, and the finale results aired September 23, 2026[8](https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/entertainment/tv-shows/a73463678/how-to-vote-agt-2026-season-21-online-app-tiktok/) • [15](https://thetvdb.com/series/americas-got-talent/seasons/official/21). Ten Golden Buzzers were awarded in the auditions; the last went to aerialist Veronika Goroshkova from Sofía Vergara[16](https://www.cinemablend.com/television/sofia-vergara-awarded-americas-got-talent-agt-season-21-last-golden-buzzer-act-simon-cowell-called-perfection). During the live shows, Cowell was scheduled for back surgery and was expected to miss several tapings[17](https://www.cinemablend.com/television/simon-cowell-missing-agt-americas-got-talent-season-21-back-surgery).
## Production and authenticity
The show is a real competition shaped by selection and editing. Acts submit videos, audition virtually, or appear at in-person auditions; producers decide which acts appear and move forward; and the broadcast team orders footage, reaction shots, and conversations into a story. A documentary-style analysis of these practices concludes that they do not establish that contestants' abilities, judges' decisions, or winners are fabricated[9](https://www.documentarytube.com/blog/americas-got-talent-whats-production-shaped-whats-real-and-what-the-evidence-cannot-prove/).
## The Got Talent franchise
Cowell conceived the format in 2005 while watching a British singing contest on television; he later said he would rather watch a talented dog, and decided a show should have no rules about who or what could perform[2](https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/secrets-of-americas-got-talent-and-its-20th-season) • [18](https://time.com/3326578/almost-everybodys-got-talent/). The franchise began with the American version in 2006 and spread internationally, reaching France, Argentina, Vietnam, Azerbaijan, and many other countries[18](https://time.com/3326578/almost-everybodys-got-talent/). In April 2014, [Guinness World Records](https://www.edgepedia.org/guinness-world-records) confirmed Got Talent as the world's most successful reality TV format, with 59 versions broadcast in 58 countries and territories at that time[4](http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/news/2014/4/simon-cowells-got-talent-confirmed-as-worlds-most-successful-reality-tv-format-56587). By 2025, the franchise had exceeded 70 versions in 194 countries and territories, been seen by more than 1 billion viewers globally, and accumulated more than 36 billion video views across all platforms[2](https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/secrets-of-americas-got-talent-and-its-20th-season).
## Spin-offs
The franchise has extended beyond the summer series. *America's Got Talent: The Champions* brought winners, finalists, and fan favorites from across the global Got Talent franchise back to compete, with the ultimate Champion determined by a Superfan vote in the February 2020 results finale[19](https://www.nbc.com/americas-got-talent/episodes/season-14). *America's Got Talent: All-Stars*, similar in structure, began production in October 2022 and premiered on NBC on January 2, 2023, with judges Simon Cowell, Heidi Klum, and [Howie Mandel](https://www.edgepedia.org/howie-mandel) and host Terry Crews[20](https://ttabvue.uspto.gov/ttabvue/ttabvue-91275600-OPP-24.pdf). NBC announced the daredevil-focused *America's Got Talent: Extreme* in May 2021, with Cowell as executive producer and judge[20](https://ttabvue.uspto.gov/ttabvue/ttabvue-91275600-OPP-24.pdf), and *America's Got Talent: Fantasy League*, in which the judges compete against each other, premiered on NBC in 2024 and later received its first international adaptation on Spain's Telecinco[20](https://ttabvue.uspto.gov/ttabvue/ttabvue-91275600-OPP-24.pdf) • [21](https://elpais.com/television/2026-06-10/telecinco-prepara-got-talent-fantasy-league-la-primera-adaptacion-internacional-del-formato-en-el-que-los-jueces-tambien-compiten.html).
## Reception and contestants' careers
The program has been the most-watched summer broadcast alternative series for all 19 years it had been on television as of that source's statement[22](https://www.agtauditions.com/about/success-stories). In 2012, its season drew peak audiences of more than 11 million viewers and it had held the position of the number-one summer reality show in the United States for eight years[4](http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/news/2014/4/simon-cowells-got-talent-confirmed-as-worlds-most-successful-reality-tv-format-56587). Contestant exposure extends beyond television: season 12 winner [Darci Lynne](https://www.edgepedia.org/darci-lynne)'s Golden Buzzer audition was YouTube's number-four Top Trending Global Video of 2017 with 42 million views and the number-one TV clip on Facebook that year with over 260 million views[23](https://shortyawards.com/10th/americas-got-talent), and 12-year-old season 11 contestant [Grace VanderWaal](https://www.edgepedia.org/grace-vanderwaal)'s audition video was watched almost 80 million times, drawing a comparison to [Taylor Swift](https://www.edgepedia.org/taylor-swift) from Cowell[24](https://time.com/4364147/americas-got-talent-grace-vanderwaal-taylor-swift/). Season 13 winner Shin Lim, a magician, went on to headline on Broadway with The Illusionists and hold a residency at The Venetian Las Vegas[22](https://www.agtauditions.com/about/success-stories). Cowell describes the relationship with online platforms as symbiotic: an act may arrive with a small following, and the broadcast clip can then spread to hundreds of millions of views on YouTube[2](https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/secrets-of-americas-got-talent-and-its-20th-season).
## References
1. [America's Got Talent, Prime Video (Citytv+ listing)](https://www.primevideo.com/detail/0L968728VKO8GO5S92IMJGHP56?tr=ca)
2. [Secrets of 'America's Got Talent' and Its 20th Season, The Daily Beast](https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/secrets-of-americas-got-talent-and-its-20th-season)
3. [How Does America's Got Talent Work? Format, Competition and Prizes, OtakuKart](https://otakukart.com/how-does-americas-got-talent-work-format-competition-and-prizes/)
4. [Simon Cowell's 'Got Talent' confirmed as world's most successful reality TV format, Guinness World Records](http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/news/2014/4/simon-cowells-got-talent-confirmed-as-worlds-most-successful-reality-tv-format-56587)
5. [America's Got Talent Wiki, Fandom](https://agt.fandom.com/wiki/America%27s_Got_Talent)
6. [Simon Cowell Reveals Which Acts Are Moving On To The LIVE SHOWS! | Judges' Callbacks | AGT 2026, America's Got Talent on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DoSBmrDGwDE)
7. [America's Got Talent: Vote Eligibility, NBC Help Center](https://help.nbc.com/hc/en-us/articles/360047996014-America-s-Got-Talent-Vote-Eligibility)
8. [Here's How 'AGT' Fans Can Vote for Their Favorite Act in 2026, Good Housekeeping](https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/entertainment/tv-shows/a73463678/how-to-vote-agt-2026-season-21-online-app-tiktok/)
9. [America's Got Talent: What's Fake, What's Real, and What's Proven, DocumentaryTube](https://www.documentarytube.com/blog/americas-got-talent-whats-production-shaped-whats-real-and-what-the-evidence-cannot-prove/)
10. [America's Got Talent Season 17 Episodes, NBC.com](https://www.nbc.com/americas-got-talent/episodes/season-17?lang=es)
11. [Got Talent format sheet, Fremantle Formats Collection 2024/25](https://one-download-bucket.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/FORMATS/Fremantle_Formats_Collection_2024_25_Digital.pdf)
12. [AGT Vote 2026: Finale Voting Closes 7 a.m. ET, Results at 9 ET, Drawpie](https://drawpie.com/blog/agt-vote-season-21-finale-results/)
13. [Watch America's Got Talent on Peacock](https://www.peacocktv.com/stream-tv/americas-got-talent?cid=2601aoalwsonpkpdsocial317683&epik=dj0yJnU9YlcxU0h4amRGWTF3c1d3M2t5Z2V5ak9QUnU3THEzUngmcD0xJm49WXpuZ2hLS2gyQU9ucjRxTS1CYWFFZyZ0PUFBQUFBR3BIN2VB&pp=0)
14. [Simon Cowell's AGT Callback Twist Feels Inspired By The Voice, CinemaBlend](https://www.cinemablend.com/television/simon-cowell-americas-got-talent-agt-season-21-callback-twist-feels-inspired-by-the-voice)
15. [America's Got Talent Season 21, TheTVDB.com](https://thetvdb.com/series/americas-got-talent/seasons/official/21)
16. [Sofía Vergara's Last AGT Golden Buzzer Went To An Act Simon Cowell Called 'Perfection.', CinemaBlend](https://www.cinemablend.com/television/sofia-vergara-awarded-americas-got-talent-agt-season-21-last-golden-buzzer-act-simon-cowell-called-perfection)
17. [I Just Learned Simon Cowell Is Going To Be Missing From AGT For Some Time, CinemaBlend](https://www.cinemablend.com/television/simon-cowell-missing-agt-americas-got-talent-season-21-back-surgery)
18. [Almost Everybody's Got Talent, TIME](https://time.com/3326578/almost-everybodys-got-talent/)
19. [America's Got Talent Season 14 Episodes (The Champions), NBC.com](https://www.nbc.com/americas-got-talent/episodes/season-14)
20. [TTAB proceeding OPP No. 91275600 filing citing AGT spin-off history, USPTO](https://ttabvue.uspto.gov/ttabvue/ttabvue-91275600-OPP-24.pdf)
21. [Telecinco anuncia Got Talent: Fantasy League, El País](https://elpais.com/television/2026-06-10/telecinco-prepara-got-talent-fantasy-league-la-primera-adaptacion-internacional-del-formato-en-el-que-los-jueces-tambien-compiten.html)
22. [Success Stories from NBC's Competition Series America's Got Talent, AGT Auditions](https://www.agtauditions.com/about/success-stories)
23. [America's Got Talent, The Shorty Awards (10th)](https://shortyawards.com/10th/americas-got-talent)
24. [12-Year-Old 'America's Got Talent' Star Is 'Honored' to Be Compared to Taylor Swift, TIME](https://time.com/4364147/americas-got-talent-grace-vanderwaal-taylor-swift/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Unscripted, reality, and web-native series › Reality and competition franchise editions › Got Talent and other variety talent-show franchises*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license