Would it even be America’s Got Talent: All-Stars without Terry Fator? Judge and executive producer Simon Cowell definitely doesn’t think so.
The Season 2 winner and master ventriloquist took the AGT: All-Stars stage during the series’ January 2 premiere alongside his puppet friends Winston and Elton John. The flawless performance earned him a standing ovation and reminded us all why Fator—as AGT’s O.G. ventriloquist—went on to inspire the likes of past winners Paul Zerdin and Darci Lynne. We also can’t forget fan favorites like Season 17’s Jack Williams and Celia Muñoz.
“When we decided to make All-Stars we had one condition: We’re only gonna do it if you could be here, seriously,” Cowell revealed during the show. “Because we just thought, if we’re gonna say we’ve got the best of the best, then you gotta get the best of the best.”
However in a turn of events that may have surprised some, after the night’s Superfan vote, Fator took home second place behind the Bello Sisters. This meant that his time on AGT: All-Stars quickly came to an end. But we wouldn’t worry about Fator. Read on to find out what he’s been up to since first winning AGT—and what he’s doing now.
During AGT: All-Stars Fator revealed that he set an impressive record after winning the show in 2007. “Because of America’s Got Talent I signed the biggest deal in the history of Las Vegas up to that point,” he said. “Five years for $100 million? I mean talk about rags to riches.”
In the years since Fator’s had multiple guest spots on AGT, appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show and The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and he wrote his very own autobiography, Who’s the Dummy Now? Fator also had an 11-year-long residency with the Mirage in Las Vegas, which came to an end in 2020. He’s currently performing at his residency at Vegas’ New York-New York Hotel & Casino, and the best news? Tickets are currently available!
You can also keep up with him on Instagram @terryfator, where he frequently posts entertaining skits, impressions, and musical performances with a variety of his puppet friends.
AGT: All-Stars airs every Monday at 8/7c on NBC and next day on Peacock.