Howie Mandel has admitted that one type of America’s Got Talent contestant gets a little more understanding from him at the judges’ table, comedians.
Speaking with Entertainment Weekly ahead of Season 21’s live shows, Mandel said he is “absolutely” easier on comedians than other performers and even more forgiving than the audience can be. As a longtime stand-up himself, he knows a comic walking onstage with only jokes can look understated beside an act flying through the air or performing a dangerous stunt.
One of the comedians now heading into the live competition is Cris Sosa, who recently revealed that Mandel had already given him very specific advice during the Judges’ Callbacks process. Sosa told Parade that Mandel urged him to “be memorable” and give viewers one moment they would still be talking about after his performance ended.
Sosa ultimately survived Mandel’s callback round and advanced to the live shows alongside fellow comedian Daniel Alvarez. They are the two stand-up acts among the 44 contestants selected to continue competing for the $1 million prize.
Mandel Says Comedy Has a Disadvantage Against Spectacle
Mandel explained that an AGT comedian can immediately follow a visually enormous performance involving acrobatics, fire or other stage effects. A stand-up then has to win over the same room simply by talking and generating laughs throughout a short set. “Absolutely. And easier on comedians than the actual audience,” Mandel said when asked whether he judges comics more leniently.
For him, part of the challenge is the immediate feedback built into stand-up. A singer, magician or stunt performer can finish an act before waiting for the room’s reaction, but a comedian becomes aware almost immediately when jokes are not landing. “It’s a harder job. It really is a harder job to be a comedian,” Mandel told EW.
His sympathy comes from experience. Mandel continues to perform stand-up himself, doing as many as 200 shows annually, and said that background gives him a particular appreciation for the preparation and vulnerability involved when comedians compete.
Sosa Asked Mandel How to Make Himself Unforgettable
Sosa had already sought Mandel’s advice before earning his place in the live shows. After 13 years of trying to break through in comedy, he asked the judge what he needed to do to separate himself from the other performers during the callback round. Mandel’s answer was straightforward: “Be memorable.”
Sosa told Parade that Mandel encouraged him to find a “wow factor” a joke, bit or particular moment that would remain in viewers’ minds after he left the stage. He identified physicality as one of his strengths and said he planned to lean harder into his act-outs rather than relying entirely on spoken material.
He has also been putting in the repetitions away from television. Sosa said he sometimes performs three to five club shows in a single night while testing established material, adding new tags and trying to sharpen the jokes he could eventually use on the live broadcast.
The Laugh Factory Callback Put Sosa in Front of Two Comedians
Mandel’s Judges’ Callbacks took Sosa to Los Angeles’ Laugh Factory, where Nikki Glaser joined Mandel as a guest judge for the group. For Sosa, performing there carried extra significance because of the comedians who have appeared on the club’s stage over the years.
He pointed to names including Dave Chappelle, Jamie Foxx and George Lopez while describing the opportunity to Parade. Mandel ultimately selected four acts from his callback group to advance: Sosa, Alvarez, Nene Royal and Bird & Byron The result meant both comedians survived a round judged by one of the show’s longtime comedy voices.
Sosa’s ‘AGT’ Appearance Has Already Changed His Audience
Sosa also says the effect of AGT has extended well beyond the competition itself. He told Parade that after his audition aired, he gained approximately 60,000 social-media followers, moving from around 70,000 to more than 130,000. He also became verified and began receiving messages from new fans discovering his comedy through the show.
He told Parade that he has supported himself through photography, graphic design, web design and extra work while trying for more than a decade to establish comedy as his full-time career. Sosa said one of his reasons for entering AGT was to put his comedy in front of enough people that he could eventually make his living from performing.
He would also be attempting something no stand-up has yet accomplished on the main America’s Got Talent series, winning the season.
His Boxing-Coach Dad Plans to Be in His Corner
There is another person Sosa expects to have with him when he takes the live-show stage, his father. Sosa said his dad could not attend his original audition but planned to be there if he reached the live shows. He has now done exactly that.
Sosa’s father is also his boxing coach. Sosa told Parade that having him physically present would mean having the person who has trained him in his corner during one of the biggest performances of his career. NBC’s Top 44 lineup confirms Sosa and Alvarez among the acts moving into the portion of the competition where viewers begin determining who advances.
Season 21’s live shows begin Aug. 18, with the 44 acts spread across four quarterfinal performance episodes. Results shows air Wednesdays, and episodes stream the following day on Peacock. The quarterfinals continue through Sept. 8, followed by semifinals on Sept. 15 and 16 and the season’s finale and results show on Sept. 22 and 23.