Indiana school janitor Richard Goodall has offered some new, surprising insight as to his incredible ascent on America’s Got Talent.
For those who might have missed it, the 55-year-old first won over hearts for his stirring rendition of Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” back in May, and he has since taken the competition by storm.
A middle school janitor for the past two decades, he told judges he grew up listening to such hits on the radio.
He eventually went on to take up his current role at a schoolhouse a few blocks down the road from his home, in Vigo County.
Speaking to Parade hours before an equally impressive performance of Michael Bolton’s “How Am I Supposed to Live Without You” that saw him advance to the semis, Goodall revealed how he came to audition in the first place.
He also addressed recent comparisons he’s received to Scottish singer Susan Boyle, who famously rose to stardom following her own unlikely performance on Britain’s Got Talent in 2009.
“I’ve been a janitor for 23 years,” Goodall began by saying, after first being congratulated for receiving a hard-earned, Heidi Klum-bestowed Gold Buzzer for his performance almost two months before.
“I’ve sung to the kids for years,,, 2022 was the first time [a] teacher said, ‘Do you want to sing [on America’s Got Talent] this year?
“I was like, ‘Yeah,’” the US’s new favorite cleaner further recalled, before revealing he flamed out of the competition during the show’s fourth season in 2009.
Citing his background as an “’80s kid music-wise”, he propositioned ‘Don’t Stop Believin’.
“They’re like, ‘Heck, yeah’, he remembered – with the rest now well-recorded history.
Of his subsequent spell-binding performance that’s since received several million views on YouTube, he said he was startled when he saw a familiar face in the audience.
“So, I sang it and there was a teaching assistant out in the audience,” he revealed. “She filmed it. That was a Thursday afternoon.”
“Friday morning,’ he said, “I’m scrubbing the floor in the 1st grade, and they approached me.
She reportedly told him, “Hey, we filmed you and put you on TikTok and it’s got 100,000 views.”
“I was like, ‘Is that good?’” Goodall recalled.
“She said, “Uh-huh, yeah.”
By the end of the weekend, it was well over a million, he said.
Recollecting as his then-scheduled second appearance loomed large, the custodian continued to express surprise over the outsized reaction that first set rapidly received.
‘By the time it reached 3 million, Journey and Steve Perry commented,’ he said, referring to the legendary arena rock band’s reclusive frontman.
“Steve Perry, who’s a recluse and doesn’t say much at all, put me on all of his social media,” Goodall gushed.
“His fans were commenting… If it was OK with Steve, then it was OK with them.”
He went on to reveal how it was a TikTok clip of him singing that got the attention of showrunners earlier this year, after which the show’s senior producer personally reached out him.
“[They] said, “Hey, are you interested in being on the show?” Goodall recalled.
“Four months later, I got plane tickets on my phone and I’m flying by the seat of my pants.
“I never had been on a plane, never been west of Missouri — and I wasn’t ever expecting to, either and I was OK with that,’ the school janitor admitted.
“I’ve been all over the East Coast because I can drive there, but taking three or four days to drive out to California, it just wasn’t on my radar. So, that’s basically what happened.”
He then touched on being gifted a brand-new car by current country star Walker Hayes, one of many won over by his May 28 performance.
“So, the wheels were turning, I didn’t know anything about this,” the custodian continued, revealing his car ‘[is] not horrible but [also] not the greatest thing in the world.
‘I had no clue and the Saturday before [my girlfriend] Angie [and I] left [to Los Angeles for the audition]… Walker pulled up in a brand new 2024.
Richard Goodall and girlfriend Angie
He called the experience during his send-off from Terre Haute, his hometown, “surreal” – not only because of the run-in with the famous singer, but the fact the car was a Buick Encore.
“So, to me, it’s kind of fitting,’ he said in reference to his recent second chance. “I don’t know if they planned it that way.”
Along for the ride this time, he said, is his girlfriend Angie – a victory in itself.
“It’s easier with her being here with me but I’m just taking it as I can,” he said of his continued stay in LA with his longtime girlfriend as the competition persist.
“I’m just concentrating on the show, not concentrating on me, and we’ll see what happens.”
“If I don’t make it into the next round,” he said, “I’ve already won.
“How many people in my area can say that they’ve done the things that Angie and I just did,” the grateful school staffer asserted, as he continues to receive offers for paid gigs and rub shoulders with celebrities.
He went on to air some of his plans for the $1million grand prize in the event he secures two more wins, before being asked about his students’ response to his newfound success.
The Parade reporter interviewing Goodall first pointed to how the janitor back in June said his dream was to get a Double-Wide Mobile Home and move to Florida with his girlfriend and their two dogs.
The interviewer went on to ask whether the desire would see the family travel across the country similar to how now-63-year-old Boyle appeared at concerts all over the world after her viral performances.
“So, while you’re living in your double wide, would you still want to go around and perform?” the journalist asked, after comparing Goodall’s ability to that of Boyle’s
Goodall, in turn, responded: “Speaking to that, a lot of British people have been doing the comparison.
“If you dig a little deeper into Susan, she’s still in her same house. She redid her house but she’s still in the same house and, yes, she’s made quite a big name for herself and she’s worth money, but she still has stayed true to herself.
“I’m along those lines,” the janitor declared. “My Angie wants a little bit better than a double wide, so we’ll see how that works out.”
Ever-modest, he went on to express hopes for future performances.
“There’s absolutely no way I can top what I’ve already done. All I can do is go in there and give the best performance I can and that’s what I intend to do.”
Even without the sought-after Gold Buzzer, he would receive enough votes to advance to the semi-finals alongside country-rock band Ashes & Arrows and dog act Roni Sagi & Rhythm that same day.
