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You'll Have No Words Seeing This Precious 2-Year-Old Genius Do Multiplication on AGT
Simon Cowell pleads, “Get us a calculator!” and asks Baby Dev to negotiate his next deal in this incredible AGT Season 19 Audition.
While most toddlers are stacking blocks and coloring with crayons, this pint-sized genius does addition, subtraction, and multiplication on national television.
Devan is the youngest Act ever to light up the America’s Got Talent stage, and in the Season 19 premiere, we can see why. The sweet boy knocked everyone’s socks off as he sailed through three different math equations that, to be honest, had the Judges stumped.
“We’re all sitting here thinking the same thing: get us a calculator,” said Simon Cowell after the performance, adding, “I now feel really stupid.”
RELATED: Who Are the America's Got Talent Season 19 Judges?
Baby Dev’s father, Duane, a retired police officer, told NBC Insider he noticed something very special about his son early on: “At 4 months old, we realized his love for numbers.”
Duane explained that when he exposed his son to early learning shows, Baby Dev would suddenly cry when they switched away from math. “And when we turned it back, he would stop. We’re like, all right, he has this love and passion for numbers,” he said.
How old is Baby Devan?
Devan is 2 years old, the youngest-ever contestant on AGT.
From the moment Baby Dev fist-bumped Terry Crews backstage before his Season 19 debut, AGT fans were charmed. The precious boy laughed, jumped, and squealed with delight after solving equations and politely saying “hello” and “thank you” to the Judges while on stage with his proud dad.
“His first word before mama and dada was seven,” Duane told the Judges. “That’s my lucky number,” exclaimed Simon. And it seemed to be Baby Dev’s, too. Three whiteboards were set up on stage — two for multiplication and one for addition — with Judges calling out random numbers. When Baby Dev quickly solved 7 x 9, there was a stunned silence before the crowd erupted in applause.
How did Devan develop his math skills?
Duane explained to NBC Insider how he nurtured his son’s penchant for math.
“At age 1, we had bought him a writing tablet. We would practice writing numbers with him from 1 to 10… and we would practice writing every day, and by 15 months old, he knew how to write numbers on his own.” After mastering addition, the math prodigy moved on to subtraction and his times tables.
“We can just be in bed, and he’ll be like… ‘Math, please. I wanna do math, please,’ and then he’ll go to his writing board and just do math equations,” said his dad, who noted that the little boy always loved counting everything. “Cars on the street, birds, trees… he has number magnets that he carries with him like it’s a toy.”
Baby Dev does not receive formal tutoring, and as one audience member pointed out, “He’s not even using his fingers” to count. However, he might have one strict requirement when calculating: Not being interrupted. As Baby Dev tackled a math problem and jotted down numbers, Howie Mandel loudly whispered, “We get to see the process.”
We can just be in bed, and he’ll be like… ‘Math, please. I wanna do math, please!’”
The toddler shot him a look that could freeze water. After a long pause and some shushing directed toward Mandel, Baby Dev continued on and solved the final equation. He was unanimously voted on to the next round — but he may have something extra on his plate, too.
When Simon asked, “Devon, will you help me negotiate my next deal?” the little cutie responded, “Yes!”
Obviously this charming youngster moved on to the next round of the competition where fans are surely eager to see what mathematical wizardry he'll come up with next.
Watch all-new episodes of America’s Got Talent, airing Tuesdays at 8/7c on NBC and streaming the next day on Peacock.
- Reporting by McKenzie Jean-Philippe
