Kodi Lee brought the house down during the America’s Got Talent season premiere. The blind and autistic singer swept up not only the new panel of judges and the in-house audience but also the millions of NBC viewers watching from home.
Kodi, 22, spoke with the judges after his mother brought him out to the stage and helped hold the microphone for him as he prepared to perform. She also gave his backstory, including his long-time love for music.
His mom was right when she called him an entertainer, as evidenced in the video below which shows his incredible performance and how the judges and the audience reacted to his time at the piano.
Kodi Lee gets the AGT Golden Buzzer
As he sat down at the piano, it was unclear what to expect, but Kodi’s talent came through in every note that he hit. He was absolutely brilliant on the stage, providing proof of what anyone can do if they put their minds to it.
Julianne Hough, Gabrielle Union, Simon Cowell, Howie Mandel, and everyone in the audience gave Kodi Lee a standing ovation at the end of his performance. Gabrielle and Julianne were fighting to speak through tears and they were about as emotional as his mother was on the stage.
Howie called it an “amazing” performance and Julianne stated that his heart and passion blew them all away. When Gabrielle got her chance to speak, she gave Kodi the first Golden Buzzer of the season.
There has never been a more heart-warming moment on #AGT than @Kodileerocks getting his Golden Buzzer, presented by @dunkindonuts. pic.twitter.com/9GZ0DI0iSL
— America's Got Talent (@AGT) May 29, 2019
Getting the Golden Buzzer means that Kodi Lee automatically moves on to the live shows in Hollywood. The impressive audition is certainly one that viewers will be talking about for a while. He earned that Golden Buzzer and it was definitely a great way to start out Season 14.
Kodi Lee is already a strong contender for winning the $1 million prize during the season finale. There’s a long way to go to get to that point, but if his opening performance is a sign of things to come, then AGT fans are going to be in for a treat.
America’s Got Talent airs Tuesday nights at 8/7c on NBC.