‘AGT’ Judge Howie Mandel Reveals How Jessica Sanchez Inspired Season 21 Changes

Alyssa Norwin June 10, 2026, 10:11 am

What To Know

Howie Mandel is back as a judge for his 17th season of America’s Got Talent.
In an interview with TV Insider, he teased some upcoming auditions, including returning acts that were inspired by Jessica Sanchez.
Mandel also opened up about why he continues coming back to the show, calling it the “best job ever.”

Jessica Sanchez had a full-circle moment when she won Season 20 of America’s Got Talent, 20 years after she first auditioned for the show in Season 1. Now, she’s inspired others to return for their second shot after failing to win in the past.

“A lot of people saw her and wanted to come back and redeem themselves,” judge Howie Mandel told TV Insider. “You’re going to see some acts you’ve seen throughout the years come back and do it better than they ever did before, with the knowledge and experience of what they’ve done in the past. This is a season of new and exciting, as well as redemption.”

In the June 9 episode, magician Yu Hojin, who made the Finals (Top 11) in Season 17, was one of the acts to return. This time, he was the leader of a magic group called Hundred Fingers, and Mandel was enthralled by their performance. In fact, he ended up using his final Golden Buzzer of the season to move the group through to the Live Shows.

Mandel’s first Golden Buzzer was for rapper Luke Taleno, and he said he just had a “feeling” about the 21-year-old. “I hope it translates onto television or the internet, but it was just his emotion,” Mandel explained. “And he manifested that. He was there in the audience last year, cheering on my Golden Buzzer [Jourdan Blue], went up to Simon [Cowell] and said, ‘You’re going to see me next year and I’m going to get a Golden Buzzer.’ And it happened. Manifestation. I think we should all do that.”

Mandel, who hosts the Howie Mandel Does Stuff podcast with his daughter, also teased that he thinks there’s a frontrunner this season, but would not name who. “The beauty and the hell of what this show is is that there’s only one winner and it’s all subjective,” he said. “You’re comparing a magician to a tap dancer. And only one is going to win. It doesn’t mean it’s better, it just means that at that point, the people that are engaging in it and voting for it seem to relate more and are connected more with that particular act at that particular time on that particular night.”

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As for what’s kept him coming back to AGT for 17 years now, Mandel gushed, “It’s just the best job ever. I’m sitting there, 10 feet from people with hopes and dreams who show up and have two minutes to change their lives forever. It’s pretty exciting. … Whether it’s technology, music, danger … I think we’re the last bastion of a variety show left, which is the seed of all entertainment.”

America’s Got Talent, Season 21, Tuesdays, 8/7c, NBC