Jessica Sanchez wins 'America's Got Talent'; her curtain call is having a baby

AMERICA'S GOT TALENT

Jessica Sanchez's journey of 20 years culminates in her win on 'America's Got Talent.'

The winner of the 20th anniversary season of America's Got Talent  is Jessica Sanchez!

“I haven’t watched anything back yet, but all I know is that I was a complete mess on stage, emotionally, just crying, and then afterwards, I’ve just been doing interviews and stuff, and I feel like the adrenaline has been crazy,” she told the Inquirer.

The 30-year old singer first competed on AGT during its debut season 20 years ago when she was just 10 years old and advanced to the Semifinals via a wildcard, but was eliminated.

Two decades later she returned to the show on the AGT's 20th season, and in an America's Got Talent first, she competed while pregnant throughout the season. She's currently 9 months along and expecting a daughter later next monthl. She and her husband plan to name the little one, Eliana.

The performance that put her over the top and earned her the $1-million top prize was her rendition of Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars' 2024 hit, "Die With a Smile," which she sang Tuesday.

All four judges praised her performance. Judge Simon Cowell “I felt there was an extra 10% from you, from before,” he explained. “Actually, there are two of you. So it’s like a duo.” Having Sanchez return for the 20th anniversary of AGT was “so important,” he continued, “to show that even if you don’t win the first time, you’ve got to always believe in yourself, right. And that’s what you’ve done.” The arrangement was “beautiful” and Sanchez, he remarked, “sounded amazing” and praised her for her best performance yet.

Sanchez's parents are Edita Bugay Sanchez, whose family is from Bataan,  Philippines, and Gilbert Sanchez, a Mexican American from Texas.

Sanchez's win makes her the second artist of Filipino descent to win a singing competition in the US. Sofronio Vasquez was the first Filipino to The Voice in December of 2024.

"My heart is overflowing with gratitude for all the love and kind words that have been pouring in," Sanchez wrote in an Instagram post on Sept. 14. 

"I never imagined I’d be spending these final weeks of pregnancy away from home, in the middle of such an exciting competition. I truly believe God’s plan is greater than my own," said the 30-year old Sanchez to the Inquirer. "This journey has been so unexpected, yet so beautiful, and I wouldn’t have it any other way."

“I’m about to go home and be a mom. So that is freaking crazy,” she said. “I have a drive back to Texas — because I can’t fly — so I have to drive back to Texas and just prepare for my baby girl, for our baby girl.”

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