There’s nothing like the strength of a mother’s love to bring everyone to tears.
On America’s Got Talent on Tuesday, a mom brought on the waterworks when she nominated her 21-year-old daughter to audition on the show — completely unbeknownst to her daughter, Anna Wilson.
Partway through the episode of the talent competition show, a producer could be heard explaining the situation to host Terry Crews, who gamely played along. The mother, who said her name is Carrie, then went up on stage, much to the shock of her daughter.
“I’m actually here surprising my daughter,” the mother began from the stage, when Simon Cowell asked who she is. The camera panned to Wilson, who was shown wiping tears from her face. “She thinks we’re here for a VIP experience in the audience, but I nominated Anna to audition here today.”
Anna started visibly sobbing, as the audience started loudly screaming their support. “Good thing she looks so happy,” Cowell joked.
As Anna walked to the stage, panelists Mel B and Sofia Vergara kept it real, with Mel joking, “I’d be so mad at my mom,” and Vergara quipping, “I’d kill her.”
Carrie and Anna hugged, and then Anna told the panel she really had no idea her mom was going to nominate her and she felt “confused” in the moment. Cowell kindly told her to go backstage, “throttle your mom,” and then take a few minutes to prepare something to perform.
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An hour later, after telling Crews that she “feels good” and was ready to go, Anna went back out onstage. Creating a “full circle moment,” she told the panel she would be performing a song she always dedicates to her mom, “Make You Feel My Love.”
Part way through the performance, of course, Cowell had to ruin the moment, and cut her off because the song “was a bit boring,” which prompted boos from the audience. Luckily, she had a second song in mind, Maren Morris’ “My Church.”
america’s got talent
After gathering herself, Anna nailed it, much to the delight of the audience and the panel. Vergara told her, “That was beautiful. Simon always is right. I know it was nerve-wracking to be stopped in the middle of a song, but usually when he does that it’s because he knows there is potential, and you definitely, definitely have potential.”
In the end, Howie Mandel, Vergara, and Cowell voted to give her another chance, and it all made for one of the most dramatic and emotional moments on the show’s landmark 20th season so far. Watch the full spectacle in the video clip, above.
In another standout performance at the end of the episode, country-R&B girl group the BoykinZ delighted the audience so much, they insisted the group get a golden buzzer. When the judges hesitated to heed the call, Crews came out onstage to oblige.
America’s Got Talent airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on NBC.
