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‘AGT’ contestant with Tourette’s turns ticks into comedy gold — even Simon Cowell burst out laughing

‘America’s Got Talent’ once welcomed a contestant who won the heart of even the toughest judge on the reality TV competition.

A memorable performance began when Samuel J. Comroe stepped onto the stage of ‘America’s Got Talent.' However, as soon as the contestant told the judges that he was a stand-up comedian, the audience erupted in loud cheers. “This means everything for me,” Comroe said, explaining how he felt to be on the show. The contestant then told the judges that he had recently welcomed a  baby girl into his family and emphasized that they were big-time supporters of his skills

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Howie Mandel mentioned that it was already a tough world for newcomers in stand-up comedy and that he simply wanted the best for the contestant. Comroe then told everyone in the theater that he suffered from Tourette's syndrome, which was why he blinked rapidly. Calling it “weird,” the contestant said that it always looked like he was trying to tell others a secret. However, Comroe mentioned that his twitch often got him into real trouble. Hearing his jokes, even Simon Cowell, who was believed to be the toughest judge on the panel of ‘AGT,’ laughed repeatedly.

During his appearance on the highly acclaimed TV show, Comroe recalled an event from his life in which he was speaking to someone. He said that someone told him their neighbor had died while blinking one eye. The other person then asked if he had been the one to kill the neighbor, to which the comedian replied “no,” but his syndrome kicked in again, causing him to twitch his eye. He then went on to make fun of his condition, adding that when other people twitch, it makes him twitch even more. Continuing the story, the contestant said that when he was 10 years old, he was sent to a camp. When groups were made of children, a kid was tasked to play the game ‘Show the Row’ that triggered Joseph’s syndrome, making him throw a head flap. However, that was not just it, as a girl next to the boy did a full-body twitch, and all hell broke loose. 

These two jokes had nearly every audience member in the theater on their feet, clapping and cheering for Comroe. However, when the camp kids’ parents saw everyone from afar, they thought the children were breakdancing, the comedian said. As per Fandom, Comroe was a contestant on Season 13 of ‘America’s Got Talent.’ That season, Comroe finished in fourth place. He made a grand return in ‘America’s Got Talent: The Champions.’ Unfortunately, he was eliminated in the Preliminaries. 

The outlet also stated that Comroe was a contestant from Los Angeles who was known to perform in over 100 clubs and colleges annually. ‘America’s Got Talent’ was not the only show he appeared on. Other TV appearances by Comroe included TBS’s ‘Conan,’ which was his debut, and BET’s ‘Real Husbands of Hollywood’ alongside highly acclaimed comedian and actor Kevin Hart. His other appearances included ‘All Def Digital’s Comedy Originals.’ The comedian was also a winner of Ricky Gervais’ Comedy Competition, ‘The San Francisco Comedy Competition,’ and more.