Jessica Sanchez Crowned AGT Champion — A Victory 20 Years in the Making!

MANILA, Philippines — Filipino-American singer Jessica Sanchez has officially been crowned the Season 20 winner of America’s Got Talent (AGT), marking a full-circle journey almost two decades after her first audition on the show.

On Thursday, September 25 (Philippine time), Sanchez wowed both the audience and the judges with a powerful rendition of “Die With A Smile” by Bruno Mars and Lady Gaga. Performing while pregnant, she earned praise from celebrity judges Simon Cowell, Howie Mandel, Sofía Vergara, and Mel B.

Vergara, who earlier gave Sanchez her Golden Buzzer, called her performance “perfection,” while Mel B described her vocals as “flawless no matter what she sings.”

Sanchez first auditioned for AGT in 2006 at just 11 years old but was eliminated before the finals. She later rose to fame as the runner-up in American Idol Season 11. Now, nearly 20 years later, she finally clinches the crown that eluded her as a child.

Born in California to a Filipina mother from Bataan and a Mexican-American father, Sanchez has long embraced her Filipino roots, even performing at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in 2013.

With her victory, Jessica Sanchez not only cements her place in AGT history but also inspires dreamers worldwide — proving that persistence, talent, and heart can turn a lifelong journey into triumph.