Top 10 America's Got Talent Winners: Where Are They Now?

Serving as both the third child and third ventriloquist to win “America’s Got Talent,” Darci Lynne Farmer wowed the judges and the viewers with her incredible singing ventriloquism. Her performance of George Gershwin’s “Summertime” was one of the most popular viral videos of 2017. After winning the competition, Farmer made the rounds on TV and performed with notable celebrities like Jeff Dunham and Pentatonix. Throughout 2018, Farmer has embarked on a national tour titled “Darci Lynne and Friends Live.” She is also set to have a busy 2019, competing in “America’s Got Talent: The Champions” and embarking on a second tour. Talk about bringing ventriloquism back!

And here we have another ventriloquist, although this one focuses more on traditional comedy than singing. Zerdin was declared the winner of season ten, and he quickly earned himself a show at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas. The show ran from May to September of 2016 but was cancelled due to low attendance. He has also performed on Disney Cruise Lines and was cast in a West End pantomime production of “Snow White,” which will run at the gorgeous London Palladium from December 8 to January 13, 2019. We guess he’s a Disney star now!

Singer Michael Grimm was declared the winner of season five after performing Percy Sledge’s “When a Man Loves a Woman”. Following his win, Grimm was a guest on “Ellen” and proposed to his girlfriend of three years, Lucie Zolcerova. They married in June 2011 in a small private ceremony in Hawaii. Since winning the show, Grimm has released numerous albums, the first of which (being his self-titled major label debut) peaked at #13 on the Billboard 200. In 2017, Grimm served as a resident at Las Vegas’ Red Rock Hotel & Casino, where he performed once a month.

Kenichi Ebina is not just any old dancer. He frequently combines different styles of dance and utilizes storytelling, acting, and a giant interactive screen throughout his act, all of which make his performances a one-of-a-kind experience. These unique traits resulted in his season eight victory, when he became the first dancer to win the competition. Since winning the show, Ebina has returned to his home country of Japan, where he continues to perform on stage and at private corporate events. In 2018, he embarked on the one-man Entertainment Tour.

The Olate Dogs consist of father-son team Richard and Nicholas Olate, who are basically the Siegfried and Roy of dog tricks. The act actually saw success before appearing on “America’s Got Talent,” as they performed in the Big Apple Circus and the Ringling Bros. After beating out Tom Cotter and William Close to win season seven, the Olate Dogs made the rounds on the television circuit and embarked on the “America’s Got Talent” All-Star tour throughout the first half of 2013. The act has continued touring throughout the years, and they have recently appeared on the TV special “Fox’s Cause for Paws: An All-Star Dog Spectacular.”

These days, it’s hard for a magician to stand out. Not only is there lots of competition (especially in these talent shows), but also YouTube and its users are trying their hardest to ruin the magic with “debunked” videos and comments trying to explain tricks. Luckily, Mat Franco’s act was fresh and exciting enough to win season nine, making him the first magician to win “America’s Got Talent.” And it did wonders for his career. Franco now headlines “Magic Reinvented Nightly” at Las Vegas’ The Linq, where he performs at his namesake Mat Franco Theater. You know a magic act is successful when an entire theater is named after it!

It all started with Bianca Ryan. Bianca auditioned with the show tune “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going”, which kickstarted a prosperous season for the 11-year-old girl. Ryan was eventually crowned the show’s first winner and immediately flew to New York to meet with top dog record executives before signing with Simon Cowell’s own Syco label. Her self-titled debut was released in 2006, aided by a Christmas song that reached #1 in the Netherlands. Ryan underwent vocal and abdominal surgery after being found at-risk for esophageal cancer in the mid-2010s, but she luckily recovered and has since released numerous singles, including “One Day” and “Man Down”.

West Virginian jazz singer Landau Eugene Murphy Jr. wowed the judges throughout season six with some brilliant renditions of classic swing-jazz tunes, including “I’ve Got You Under My Skin”, “Fly Me to the Moon”, and “Ain’t That a Kick in the Head”? After winning the season, Murphy was signed to Columbia and released his debut album, “That’s Life”, which contained many Frank Sinatra covers. It reached #1 on the jazz albums chart and has since sold over 150,000 copies in the United States. Murphy continues to perform on stage and record in the studio, and his latest album, titled “Landau”, was released in December 2016.

And here we have the third and final ventriloquist on the list, Vegas legend Terry Fator. After seeing little success as an independent performer and contemplating leaving ventriloquism behind, Fator auditioned for the second season of “America’s Got Talent” and proceeded to win. In 2008, he made one of the biggest deals in Vegas history by signing a five-year, $100 million contract with The Mirage, where he performs in the Terry Fator Theatre. He celebrated his 1,000th show in May 2013 and continues to perform at The Mirage to this day. The man went from nearly quitting show business to becoming a multimillionaire. And that’s why you never give up on your dreams!

Called “the next Taylor Swift” by Simon Cowell, Grace VanderWaal is one of the most famous musicians to ever grace “America’s Got Talent.” She earned a golden buzzer and viral fame for her original song “I Don’t Know My Name”, and she proceeded to win the eleventh season due to her incredible musical abilities at age 12. Her debut EP, “Perfectly Imperfect”, was the best-selling EP of 2016, and her debut album, “Just the Beginning”, was released in November 2017. She completed her Just the Beginning Tour and opened for Imagine Dragons on their Evolve World Tour the next year. Her career only continues to expand, as she is slated to star in Disney’s “Stargirl” in 2019.