Golden Buzzer

The Golden Buzzer is a concept that was introduced in Season 9 of America's Got Talent. Each judge may press their Golden Buzzer only once during the season. In Season 9, the Golden Buzzer sent the act to the next round regardless of the other judges' votes; its main purpose was to break ties. In Season 10, the Golden Buzzer was upgraded to send an act straight to the live shows. This method continues on for the next several seasons. From Season 11 onwards, the host can use the Golden Buzzer to send an act straight to the live shows.

Season 9

Season 9 featured the debut of the golden buzzers. Howard Stern used his on Dustin's Dojo, and Howie Mandel used his on Emmanuel & Phillip Hudson. Heidi Klum used her golden buzzer for Brad Henderson, but it was never televised. Neither act progressed to the Quarterfinals. It is unknown if Mel B used her golden buzzer. Even if she did use it, it was most likely not televised like Heidi's.

Both Dustin's Dojo and Emmanuel & Phillip Hudson were eliminated during Judgment Week.

Dustin's Dojo Howard Stern

Emmanuel & Phillip Hudson Howie Mandel

Season 10

In Season 10, the golden buzzer format was changed so that acts who receive the buzzer are now given a spot in the Quarterfinals. Howie Mandel was first shown pressing it for Drew Lynch, a comedian with a speech impediment, Howard Stern used his for Freckled Sky, a dance duo, Mel B used hers for Sharon Irving, a singer, and Heidi Klum gave the buzzer to young Opera singer, Arielle Baril.

The guest judges for the series were also allowed to use the Golden Buzzer during the Judge Cuts. Neil Patrick Harris was the first to use his for comedy magician Piff the Magic Dragon. Michael Bublé was the second, using his golden buzzer on vocal duo The CraigLewis Band. Marlon Wayans was next, pressing his for ventriloquist Paul Zerdin. Piers Morgan was the last guest judge, and he used his golden buzzer for dance group Siro-A.

Freckled Sky was the only Golden Buzzer act this season eliminated in the Quarterfinals. Arielle Baril, Siro-A, and Sharon Irving were all eliminated in the Semifinals. Piff the Magic Dragon missed out on the Top 5 in the Finals, while The CraigLewis Band and Drew Lynch finished in 5th and 2nd place respectively. Paul Zerdin was the season's winner.

Drew Lynch Howie Mandel	Freckled Sky Howard Stern	Sharon Irving Mel B	Arielle Baril Heidi Klum
Piff the Magic Dragon Neil Patrick Harris	The CraigLewis Band Michael Bublé	Paul Zerdin Marlon Wayans	Siro-A Piers Morgan

Season 11

Season 11's format was similar to Season 10, but host Nick Cannon was also given a chance to use the Golden Buzzer.

Mel B was the first to press the golden buzzer this season, for 13-year-old opera singer Laura Bretan. Howie Mandel was the second to use the golden buzzer, pressing it for 12-year-old singer/ukulelist, Grace VanderWaal. Heidi Klum then pressed the golden buzzer for 20-year-old jazz singer Sal Valentinetti. Simon Cowell was the final judge to press the golden buzzer, for 16-year-old singer Calysta Bevier. For the first time on the show, Nick Cannon had his own opportunity to press the golden buzzer; he did so for 90-year-old striptease dancer Dorothy Williams.

In the Judge Cuts, Ne-Yo was the first guest judge to use the golden buzzer, pressing it for magician Jon Dorenbos. Reba McEntire used her golden buzzer on 14-year-old gymnast/contortionist Sofie Dossi. George Lopez used his golden buzzer on malambo group Malevo. Finally, Louis Tomlinson used the golden buzzer for 14-year-old singer Jayna Brown.

Dorothy Williams was the only Golden Buzzer act this season eliminated in the Quarterfinals. Malevo, Calysta Bevier, and Jayna Brown were eliminated in the Semifinals. Sofie Dossi and Laura Bretan missed out on the Top 5, while Sal Valentinetti and Jon Dorenbos finished in 5th and 3rd place respectively. Grace VanderWaal was the season's winner.

Laura Bretan Mel B	Grace VanderWaal Howie Mandel	Sal Valentinetti Heidi Klum
Calysta Bevier Simon Cowell	Dorothy Williams Nick Cannon	Jon Dorenbos Ne-Yo
Sofie Dossi Reba McEntire	Malevo George Lopez	Jayna Brown Louis Tomlinson

Season 12

Season 12's format is identical to that of Season 11.

Mel B was the first to press the golden buzzer this season, for 12-year-old singing ventriloquist Darci Lynne. Simon Cowell pressed his buzzer next, for 29-year-old deaf singer Mandy Harvey. Howie Mandel pressed the button for 16-year-old singer Christian Guardino. Tyra Banks pressed the button for a Ukrainian light-up dance group, Light Balance, the only non-singing act among all the Golden Buzzers. Heidi Klum pressed her button for 13-year-old singer Angelina Green.

In the Judge Cuts, Chris Hardwick was the first guest judge to use the golden buzzer, pressing it for 9-year-old singer Angelica Hale. Next, DJ Khaled pressed his golden buzzer for 21-year-old singer-songwriter/guitarist Chase Goehring. Laverne Cox pressed her button for 9-year-old singer Celine Tam. Seal pressed the final golden buzzer of the season for 32-year-old singer Johnny Manuel.

Angelina Green was the only Golden Buzzer act this season eliminated in the Quarterfinals. Johnny Manuel, Christian Guardino, and Celine Tam were eliminated in the Semifinals. Chase Goehring missed out on the Top 5. Mandy Harvey finished in 4th place, Light Balance in 3rd, and Angelica Hale came in 2nd. Darci Lynne was the season's winner.

Darci Lynne Mel B	Mandy Harvey Simon Cowell	Christian Guardino Howie Mandel
Light Balance Tyra Banks	Angelina Green Heidi Klum	Angelica Hale Chris Hardwick
Chase Goehring DJ Khaled	Celine Tam Laverne Cox	Johnny Manuel Seal

Season 13

Season 13's format is identical to that of Season 11.

Tyra pressed the first golden buzzer of the season for acrobatic group Zurcaroh. Simon followed shortly after, using his for singer Michael Ketterer. Howie pressed his buzzer for 13-year-old singer Courtney Hadwin. Mel gave the honor to 15-year-old singer Amanda Mena. Another singer, Makayla Phillips, got the golden buzzer from Heidi.

In the Judge Cuts, Ken Jeong pressed his buzzer for Voices of Hope Children's Choir.  The following week, Olivia Munn pressed hers for Angel City Chorale.  Martina McBride then pressed hers for ballroom dance duo Quin and Misha, and finally Chris Hardwick pressed his for 14-year-old rapper Flau'jae.

Flau'jae and Quin and Misha were eliminated in the Quarterfinals.  Amanda Mena, Makayla Phillips, Voices of Hope Children's Choir and Angel City Chorale were eliminated in the Semifinals. Courtney Hadwin missed out on the Top 5 of the Finals, while Michael Ketterer finished in 5th place and Zurcaroh finished as runner-up.

Zurcaroh Tyra Banks	Michael Ketterer Simon Cowell	Courtney Hadwin Howie Mandel
Amanda Mena Mel B	Makayla Phillips Heidi Klum	Voices of Hope Children's Choir Ken Jeong
Angel City Chorale Olivia Munn	Quin and Misha Martina McBride	Flau'jae Chris Hardwick

AGT: The Champions

For "The Champions", an act that received a Golden Buzzer in the preliminary shows advanced directly to the Final without having to face the Superfans vote.

In week 1, Mel B pressed her Golden Buzzer for singer Susan Boyle.  The following week, Heidi Klum pressed hers for knife-throwing duo Deadly Games.  In Week 3, Howie Mandel pressed his for singer Angelica Hale.  In Week 4, Simon Cowell pressed his for singer Kechi. Finally, host Terry Crews pressed his for sand artist Kseniya Simonova.  Susan, Deadly Games, Angelica and Kechi all missed out on the top 5, while Kseniya finished in 3rd place.

Susan Boyle Mel B	Deadly Games Heidi Klum	Angelica Hale Howie Mandel
Kechi Simon Cowell	Kseniya Simonova Terry Crews

Season 14

Season 14's format is identical to that of Seasons 11-13.

Gabrielle Union pressed the first Golden Buzzer of the season for singer/pianist Kodi Lee. Howie Mandel pressed his for singer/rapper Joseph Allen. Simon Cowell followed, pressing his for 11-year-old violinist Tyler Butler-Figueroa. Next was host Terry Crews, pressing his for Detroit Youth Choir.  Julianne Hough pressed hers for 12-year-old singer Luke Islam.

In the Judge Cuts, Brad Paisley pressed his Golden Buzzer for 15-year-old singer/guitarist Sophie Pecora.  Dwyane Wade pressed his for dance group V.Unbeatable.  Ellie Kemper pressed hers for light-up dance crew Light Balance Kids.  Finally, Jay Leno pressed his for 10-year-old opera singer Emanne Beasha.

Sophie Pecora and Joseph Allen were eliminated in the Quarterfinals.  Luke Islam was the only act eliminated in the Semifinals.  Emanne Beasha, Light Balance Kids and Tyler Butler-Figueroa all missed out on the Top 5, while V.Unbeatable finished in 4th place and Detroit Youth Choir finished 2nd.  Kodi Lee was the season's winner.

Additionally, dancer Ben Trigger pressed the Golden Buzzer for himself during his audition and his performance in Judge Cuts, but they both didn't count.

Kodi Lee Gabrielle Union	Joseph Allen Howie Mandel	Tyler Butler-Figueroa Simon Cowell
Detroit Youth Choir Terry Crews	Luke Islam Julianne Hough	Sophie Pecora Brad Paisley
V.Unbeatable Dwyane Wade	Light Balance Kids Ellie Kemper	Emanne Beasha Jay Leno

Champions 2

The format for Champions 2 is similar to Champions 1, but this time the Golden Buzzer allowed the act to skip the newly-added Semifinal round and go straight to the Finals. Due to there being one less preliminary round than last time, host Terry Crews was not given a chance to use the Golden Buzzer.

In Week 1, Heidi Klum pressed hers for Norwegian singer Angelina Jordan.  In Week 2, Howie Mandel was supposed to have the honor, but Simon Cowell stole it to support dance group Boogie Storm.  Howie came back in Week 3 and pressed his for acrobatic dance group V.Unbeatable.  Finally, Alesha Dixon pressed hers for shadow dance group Silhouettes in Week 4.

Angelina, Boogie Storm and Silhouettes all missed out on the Top 5, while V.Unbeatable won the competition.

Angelina Jordan Heidi Klum	Boogie Storm Simon Cowell (stolen from Howie Mandel)
V.Unbeatable Howie Mandel	Silhouettes Alesha Dixon

Season 15

Season 15's format is identical to that of Seasons 11-14.

Terry Crews pressed the first Golden Buzzer of the season for Voices of Our City Choir. Sofia Vergara was next, pressing her first-ever Golden Buzzer for 10-year-old singer Roberta Battaglia. Heidi Klum came third, pressing her Golden Buzzer for singer Cristina Rae.  Simon Cowell followed, pressing his for dance group W.A.F.F.L.E. Crew. Lastly, Howie Mandel gave his to spoken-word poet Brandon Leake.

With production being shut down for a period of time due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Judge Cuts were altered for this season so there were no Golden Buzzers from guest judges this season.

No Golden Buzzer acts were eliminated in the Quarterfinals. Voices of Our City Choir and W.A.F.F.L.E. Crew were eliminated in the Semifinals.  Roberta Battaglia and Cristina Rae finished in 4th place and 3rd place respectively.  Brandon Leake was the season's winner.

Voices of Our City Choir Terry Crews	Roberta Battaglia Sofia Vergara	Cristina Rae Heidi Klum
W.A.F.F.L.E. Crew Simon Cowell	Brandon Leake Howie Mandel

Trivia

• Since the upgraded format was introduced in Season 10, five out of six winners, Paul Zerdin, Grace VanderWaal, Darci Lynne, Kodi Lee and Brandon Leake had received golden buzzers, with Brandon, Kodi, Darci, and Grace receiving it in the Auditions, and Paul receiving it in the Judge Cuts. Shin Lim is currently the only act that breaks this tradition, not receiving the Golden Buzzer in either the auditions or Judge Cuts).
  • Paul Zerdin is the only winning act to receive the Golden Buzzer from a guest judge from Judge Cuts (that being Marlon Wayans).
• Seven out of the eight Season 10 golden buzzer acts reached the Semifinals. Four reached the Finals.
• Eight out of the nine Season 11 golden buzzer acts reached the Semifinals. Five reached the Finals.
• Eight out of the nine Season 12 golden buzzer acts reached the Semifinals. Five reached the Finals.
• Seven out of the nine Season 13 golden buzzer acts reached the Semifinals. Three reached the Finals.
• Seven out of the nine Season 14 golden buzzer acts reached the Semifinals.  Six reached the Finals.
• All five of the Season 15 golden buzzer acts reached the Semifinals.  Three reached the Finals
• Season 14 sets the record for the most Golden Buzzer acts advancing to the Finals (6), while Seasons 13 and 15 holds the record for the least advancing (3).
• Angelica Hale is the first act to receive the Golden Buzzer twice on AGT.  She was followed by V.Unbeatable. Both Angelica and V.Unbeatable received their first Golden Buzzer in the Judge Cuts: by Chris Hardwick and Dwyane Wade respectively.  Their second was given in their respective Champions seasons by Howie Mandel.
  • V.Unbeatable is the first act to receive two Golden Buzzers in back-to-back seasons (Season 14 and Champions 2).
• Chris Hardwick is the only guest judge to use the golden buzzer twice.
• Zurcaroh is the first act to receive the Golden Buzzer on both AGT and one of the international versions of the franchise (France's Got Talent).  In both instances, it was the show's host that gave them the honor (Tyra Banks and David Ginola). They were followed by Emanne Beasha, who received her first on Arab's Got Talent, and her second on Season 14 during the last week of Judge Cuts from a guest judge.
  • If Champions is counted, then Kseniya Simonova (Champions and Britain's Got Talent: The Champions) and Boogie Storm (Britain's Got Talent and Champions 2) also fit this category.
• Five of the six acts that received the Golden Buzzer from the show's host (including Champions) have reached the finals, all placing in the top 3 (Zurcaroh and Detroit Youth Choir both finished 2nd, Light Balance and Kseniya Simonova both placed 3rd). Dorothy Williams from Season 11 and Voices of Our City Choir from Season 15 were the only exceptions.
• Among the judges, Howie Mandel has the most Golden Buzzer wins, with three (including Champions).
• Howie is also the first judge to have his Golden Buzzer acts win in consecutive seasons (V.Unbeatable in Champions 2, Brandon Leake in Season 15).
• Brad Henderson is the only Golden Buzzer act that was never televised.
• Boogie Storm is the first and currently only act to receive the Golden Buzzer from a judge who stole that opportunity from another judge (in this case, Simon Cowell stole the opportunity from Howie Mandel). They are also the first act to receive the Golden Buzzer from the same judge in two different series (again, Simon Cowell, in BGT and Champions 2).
• Howard Stern and Tyra Banks are the only regular judge and host respectively who have never pressed the Golden Buzzer for a singer or singing-related act.
• Season 15 is the first season where all golden buzzers reach the semifinals.
• Seasons 13 and 15 in the Semifinals were the only times that two Golden Buzzer acts were eliminated by the third act in their group. In the former, Makayla Phillips and Amanda Mena were eliminated by another Golden Buzzer act (Michael Ketterer), while in the latter W.A.F.F.L.E. Crew and Voices of Our City Choir were eliminated by a non-Golden Buzzer act (Daneliya Tuleshova).