Luke Taleno has completed another unlikely step in an America’s Got Talent journey that began on the other side of the stage. A year after sitting in the audience and telling Simon Cowell he would return as a contestant and earn a Golden Buzzer, the rapper has now been voted into the Season 21 semifinals.
Taleno survived the first live public vote of the season alongside dog trainer Olivia Befus and light-up dance trio Royal Lasers. Parade’s results recap confirmed that the three acts advanced after Wednesday night’s reveal, while magic group Hundred Fingers had already bypassed the vote by receiving Howie Mandel’s live Golden Buzzer and a direct place in the finals.
For Taleno, the result extends a run that seemed improbable before Season 21 began. He attended the show last year to support his friend Jourdan Blue, who eventually finished third, and told Cowell that audiences would see him competing in 2026.
Taleno did more than simply come back. The 28-year-old earned Mandel’s Golden Buzzer during his audition and then returned for the first live quarterfinal with another original rap that brought all four judges to their feet before viewers decided his next move.
Luke Taleno Got the Final Semifinal Spot of the Night
The results show first narrowed the 10 acts still relying on the public vote to five. Befus, Taleno, Royal Lasers, comedian Cris Sosa and the Jesse White Tumbling Team survived the initial series of head-to-head announcements.
Befus was revealed as the first act advancing to the semifinals, followed by Royal Lasers. Taleno then received the final available spot, eliminating Sosa and the Jesse White Tumbling Team along with Ashford Sanders, Brook Lynn, James & Marina, Sando and the CommUNITY ATL Choir.
Taleno was visibly emotional after Terry Crews called his name. According to Entertainment Weekly, he credited God and thanked viewers for voting before celebrating the chance to keep competing. Cowell then reminded him just how far the story had come.
“By the way, we met a year ago,” Cowell said. “You were sitting in the audience, and you said to me, ‘Simon, do you think I can apply?’ And I said, ‘Give it a go.’ And guess what? You’re here now.”
He Had Already Kept His Golden Buzzer Promise
Taleno’s connection to the show began before he ever auditioned. While attending Season 20 to support Blue, he encountered Cowell and told him to remember his face because he planned to return the following year and get a Golden Buzzer.
Season 21’s June premiere turned that prediction into reality. Taleno performed his original song “Seat to Stage,” switching between English and Spanish while telling the story of the experiences that had led him to the AGT stage.
His audition was not unanimously praised. Mel B said it was not his strongest possible performance and noted that he appeared to struggle with his breathing, while Sofia Vergara and Cowell focused more heavily on his personality and emotional connection to the material.
Mandel ultimately delivered exactly what Taleno had predicted a year earlier. “You are truly the image of what I believe authenticity is,” Mandel told him before asking, “Last year you predicted something, and I just have one question: How did you know?” He then hit the Golden Buzzer, sending Taleno directly to the live shows.
His Live Performance Was a Clear Step Up From the Audition
Cowell immediately told him the live performance represented a major improvement. “That was such a step up, by the way, from your first audition,” he said, according to Entertainment Weekly. “You have a very, very, very special talent. That was really, really good.”
Vergara praised Taleno’s authenticity and predicted that viewers would connect with him. “I think America’s gonna fall in love with you,” she said, before urging people to vote.
Mel B responded with “Wowza, wowza” and singled out his passion, while Mandel made the night’s biggest rap comparison, joking that he was ready to start spelling Eminem with Taleno’s initials: “LT.” Season 21’s semifinal round begins September 15.