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NBC Insider America's Got Talent

Remember Alex Hooper's Cringe AGT 13 Audition? It's Going Viral Years Later

The stand-up's harsh roast of the Judges is resurfacing five years after it aired.

By McKenzie Jean-Philippe

A blast from America's Got Talent past is making the rounds on social media after their infamous Audition was resurfaced on TikTok.

How to Watch

Watch the Season 19 premiere of America’s Got Talent Tuesday, May 28 at 8/7c on NBC and next day on Peacock

The account @publicreactions recently shared stand-up Alex Hooper's Act from AGT Season 13, declaring he was the "best comedian on AGT." The viral clip has gained more than 4 million views as of publish time. It also made its way to Twitter and gained thousands of more likes, with the account @SomaKazima tweeting, "He said he was a comedian & CLEARED everyone in the building."

Many fans will remember that Hooper (a self-proclaimed "professional roaster") was booed by the audience and was not well-received by the Judges or Host at the time—Howie Mandel, Mel B., Heidi Klum, Simon Cowell, and Tyra Banks—for his harsh jokes at their expense. Hooper earned four Red X votes, but despite this, Hooper told the L.A. Times in November that he gained fans after the episode aired.

“People would get so excited," he said about getting recognized at his then-job at Universal Studios. "They’d want to take pictures. They be like, ‘What are you doing here?’" 

Hooper auditioned again for AGT in 2018 during Season 15. This time, his roast was much more well-received, and he made it all the way to the Quarter-Finals. Mandel even gave him a standing ovation. Now, you can keep up about the latest in his life and career via his Instagram, @hooperhairpuff.

"On mission to uplift the world with dark humor & positivity," his bio declares.

Hooper, who's currently battling Stage 3 Hodgkin’s lymphoma after being diagnosed in 2022, also shares health updates and uses comedy as a way to help him fight the disease. Luckily, the L.A. Times reported that his "prognosis is good" and "Hodgkin’s lymphoma is known for being treatable." 

“I never feel more alive than when I’m onstage,” he said. “When I tell a really dark joke about chemotherapy and the entire room erupts in laughter, and we can all sit here and have this moment, I can literally feel cancer cells disintegrating inside of me.”

He continued, “If I want to be the best person I can be, not just for myself, but also for my loved ones, I have to learn how to chill. Yes, I can be ambitious. Yes, I can write scripts right now. And I can set myself up and I can film videos. But the important thing is to just relax and allow my body to go through what it needs to.”

Watch AGT: All-Stars Mondays at 8/7c on NBC and next day on Peacock.  

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