“America’s Got Talent” gave viewers online a sneak peak from an upcoming episode of Season 18, and it features an unforgettable audition from comedian Ahren Belisle.
Belisle, a 28-year-old engineer with cerebral palsy, used a text-to-speech app to deliver insanely clever, perfectly timed one-liners that left audiences howling.
As the aspiring comic explained to the judges early on, typing on his phone “builds tension during a set, and I think people enjoy watching me laugh at my own joke that I’m writing.” He wasn’t wrong. The crowd could barely contain themselves as they giggled with anticipation.
And it’s not just Belisle’s timing that was impressive. He excelled at a kind of charming, yet sharp, borderline self-deprecating humor that many comedians take years to master. Crazy to think that this guy has only been performing for a year.
Take for instance his first big laugh moment of the set, when Belisle addressed “the elephant in the room.”
“I know what you’re thinking: ‘Who ordered Stephen Hawking off of Wish.com?’” he joked. “He might be smarter than me, but I would beat him in a race. Unless the race is downhill, then I’m screwed.”
Belisle would go on to take a playful jab at a “random white lady” who scolded him online for using the word “handicapped” in his social media bio, since of course it’s “offensive to disabled people.”
“Hmm…I don’t think It’s offensive. Last time I checked, I was pretty disabled, “ he quipped, then said the woman was “probably commenting on her phone from a handicapped bathroom stall.” Needless to say, the crowd was beside themselves with laughter.
In a rare feat for most comedians on the show, Belisle ended up with “yes” votes from every single judge for his unique and compelling routine, advancing him to the next round. Across the board, his set was praised as “clever” and “fearless,” with Sofia Vergara declaring, “I hope that you are the one comedian that finally wins ‘AGT.’”
Howie Mandel, the show’s resident comedian, really nailed it on the head as to what made Belisle’s act so special when he raved, “You open up the conversation and normalize humanity and originality.”
Will Belisle be crowned the Season 18 winner? No one can predict the future, but he has certainly won over all our hearts.