‘America’s Got Talent’: Most successful acts of all-time

Over the years, “America’s Got Talent,” NBC has put dozens of performers on the map. The best acts on ‘AGT” have proven that you can be successful and popular in any genre of talent and at any age or with a wide variety of formal or even informal training. At the end of the day, being the best is about authenticity, letting your art speak for itself and above all else about entertaining. Scroll down to find out the names of the Top 10 “America’s Got Talent” most successful acts of all time.

Shin Lim – Close-up Magician
Self-taught, Shin’s season 13 win and subsequent victory on the first season of “The Champions” make him one of the most impressive and memorable contestants in series history. After his first win he headlined his own show at Paris Las Vegas and after his second win started a residency at the Terry Fator Theater at the Mirage. In 2020 he will embark on his own solo national tour, likely increasing his current reported worth of $1 million.

Melissa Villaseñor – Comic Impressionist
These days you probably know Melissa best as a current cast member of “Saturday Night Live” where she’s been since 2016 when she joined as a featured player. Before that she was a semifinalist of AGT season 6. And since joining SNL, Melissa’s television and film work has picked up, including voicing characters in Disney hits “Ralph Breaks the Internet” and “Toy Story 4.” She is estimated to be worth $1.5 million.

Bianca Ryan – Singer
Bianca was only 11 years old when she won the first season, going on to release one full length debut album and two holiday albums, as well as numerous singles. In 2016 her career was halted when she had stomach surgery due to the risk of esophageal cancer. She released her EP “The Reintroduction, Pt. 1” in 2019 in order to kickstart her career again, but remains worth a reported $3 million.

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Mat Franco – Close-up Magician
When Mat was crowned the champion of season 9 he was the first magician in series history to win. He was also the first contestant that NBC created a spin-off special (2015’s “Mat Franco’s Got Magic”) before his Las Vegas show at the LINQ was awarded “Best Show” in 2016. He is now estimated to be worth $3.5 million.

Michael Grimm – Singer & Musician
Michael followed up his season 5 win with his self-titled album debuting at #13 on the Billboard 200 albums chart and a show at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas. He’s since returned to Vegas for additional residencies of varying length and toured the world with his music. Today he’s reported to be worth about $3 million. 

Darci Lynne Farmer – Singing Ventriloquist
In 2017 Darci Lynne announced a national tour of “Darci Lynne and Friends Live” after her season 12 win. The show was initially announced with only five dates, but quickly expanded to 52 including nine special holiday iterations called “Rocking Around the Christmas Tree with Darci Lynne and Friends.” In 2019 she followed up with her second tour “Darci Lynne and Friends: Fresh Out of the Box” and has since amassed a reported net worth of $4 million.

Jackie Evancho – Classical Crossover Singer
When Jackie released her debut EP “O Holy Night” during the 2010 holiday season she became the best-selling debut artist of the year and the youngest solo artist in US history to ever go platinum (she was 11 years old). Being the runner-up on season 5 did not stop her from achieving three top 10 debuts on the Billboard 200 albums chart from eight studio albums and one EP or from being worth an estimated $4 million.

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Piff the Magic Dragon – Comic Magician
Piff had a noteworthy career prior to his appearance on season 10 of AGT where he was named a finalist. By that time his credits included national comedy tours in the UK and Australia and as a supporting act on a Mumford & Sons tour. Since AGT he has held residency at The Flamingo in Las Vegas and is reportedly worth about $4.5 million.

Lindsey Stirling – Hip Hop Violinist
After appearing on AGT and becoming a season 5 quarterfinalist, Lindsey’s YouTube channel featuring music videos of her choreographed violin performances achieved new milestones. In 2012 she had a top ten most watched video with “Crystallize” and was named among 2015’s Forbes magazine’s “30 Under 30 in Music” list. Her YouTube channel has 14 million subscribers contributing to 3.5 billion total views and a reported $6 million net worth.

The Texas Tenors – Country & Classical Vocal Group
Despite placing only as high as fourth on season 4, The Texas Tenors are considered the second most successful act in AGT history. Following their finish as finalists, the group starred in their own television special that garnered them five Emmy nominations and garnered three wins. They followed up with a second PBS special in 2017 and have now released three studio albums to gain a reported net worth of $13 million. 

Terry Fator – Singing Impressionist & Ventriloquist
After being crowned the season 2 champion, Fator signed a 5-year contract with The Mirage for $100 million that at the time in 2008 was a Las Vegas record. In 2013, when that deal was set to expire, the hotel and casino renewed his contract through 2021, giving Fator over 10 years headlining his own show.

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