Simon Cowell was left in tears after last week’s (May 30th) emotional audition honoring the late Nightbirde. But this week, the AGT judge had another heartfelt moment awarding his Golden Buzzer of the season. Who did Simon Cowell give his Golden Buzzer to on America’s Got Talent 2023? Keep reading to find out.

America’s Got Talent (also known as AGT), is the American talent competition in the Got Talent franchise created by Simon Cowell. A variety of participants from across the U.S. and around the world come on the show and perform a range of talents, from singing and dancing to magic and stunts. The goal of the participants is to secure a spot in the live episodes of the season by performing in front of a panel of judges. The judges for the 2023 season are Cowell, Howie Mandel, Heidi Klum and Sofia Vergara, and the current host is Terry Crews. 

On AGT, the Golden Buzzer is a fast-track invitation to live performances. This means that the lucky few who receive the Golden Buzzer will skip the lower levels of the competition and advance to a later stage. Typically, each judge – as well as the show’s host Terry Crews – can press the button only once per season. But in an interview Cowell gave to Parade in May 2023, the AGT creator hinted that he hit the Golden Buzzer multiple times in Season 18. The change of heart came after Britain’s Got Talent judge Bruno Tonioli hit his button a second time (because he didn’t know he only got one). Cowell decided he would do the same. 

“Well, let’s put it this way, we slightly broke the rules this year,” Simon admitted in the interview. Cowell also told Parade that having more than the normal amount of Golden Buzzers doesn’t lessen its impact. “It happened in the U.K. because it happened,” he said. “This weekend in the U.K., it was the eighth Golden Buzzer we gave this year. When I watched it back, if we hadn’t given this person a Golden Buzzer, I would have felt terrible. So, we have given out more this year and I don’t think there’s a single person watching who’ll go, ‘They shouldn’t have had that,’ because when they’re that good and you’re in the moment, it’s a great feeling.”

In previous years, Cowell gave his Golden Buzzer to 13-year-old singer Sara James in Season 17, the late singer Nightbirde (Jane Marczewski) in Season 16 and the street dance troupe Waffle Dance Crew in Season 15. In 2023, AGT gave out its first “Audience Golden Buzzer” to Mzansi Youth Choir, a group of singers from South Africa, who performed the Nightbirde’s original song “It’s OK,” a year after her death from cancer. One of the most incredible parts about earning a Golden Buzzer is the special moment it creates. Once the button is pushed, the background lights up and gold confetti falls all over the stage in celebration. 

With only a few episodes into the 18th season, Cowell has already given out his coveted Golden Buzzer (but we suspect he’ll give at least one more this season based on his Parade interview). See who received the honor of earning Simon Cowell’s Golden Buzzer below.

Who did Simon Cowell give his Golden Buzzer to on AGT?

Who did Simon Cowell give his golden buzzer to on AGT? In Season 18, Cowell gave his golden buzzer to blind singer Putri Ariani from Indonesia. Before her audition, Ariani explained that her biggest challenge is that “people look at me as a blind person, not as a musician,” she said. “But when I’m singing, I feel like a superstar.”

The teenager added that she wants to be a famous singer like Whitney Houston and attend Juilliard one day. “I hope that I can win America’s Got Talent so I can reach my dream,” Putri said told the judges. The 17-year-old singer sat down at the piano and performed an original song that she wrote. Then, Cowell asked her to choose a second song, prompting her to perform Elton John’s “Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word.”

Sofia Vergara labeled the teen singer as an “angel.” Fellow America’s Got Talent judge Howie Mandel added: “A lot of people don’t believe in angels, and I think one just landed on our stage…You’re a superstar.” But perhaps the greatest impact Putri had was on Simon Cowell. “We’re all feeling the same thing… You’re 17, you write songs, you’ve got an amazing, distinctive voice. I mean really, really good,” Cowell said. “You have a kind of glow about you.”

Cowell was so mesmerized by Ariani’s performance that he hit his Golden Buzzer, sending the inspiring blind singer straight to the live shows. “You are, I think one of the best singers we’ve ever had on our show,” Cowell beamed. Watch Putri Ariani’s magical Golden Buzzer moment on Season 18 below: 

America’s Got Talent airs on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. on NBC.

Want to learn how much the AGT judges make per episode? Check out our gallery of America’s Got Talent salaries below to learn who makes the most. 

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