Nervous ‘AGT’ comedian turns anxiety into laughs and wins over Simon Cowell with self-deprecating jokes
“I am nervous,” stated the comedian as he introduced himself on ‘America’s Got Talent’ Season 14. In a casual conversation with Howie Mandel, the contestant introduced himself as Kevin Schwartz from Madison, Wisconsin. In the footage, Schwartz further shed light on his background. “Fear has sort of ruled my life, and comedy has been a way of trying to take back control,” the contestant mentioned. In the video, he also mentioned that his family moved around a lot when he was young and discovered that he had anxiety issues.
As the judges gave him the stage, Schwartz, feeling awkward, joked about the first time he blacked out, but the attempt fell flat, leaving the audience and judges confused. However, when he stated, “I don't always cry myself to sleep; I have insomnia,” he made a few faces smile. His jokes seemed to be working, as even Simon Cowell was intrigued with what he was listening to. The contestant delivered a few more one-liners, saying, “Today I saw twin pandas,” and with his usual long breaks, he added, “that bears repeating.”
“I used to have a problem with grammatical tenses, but not yet,” cracked Schwartz. His jokes were slowly impressing everyone in the theater, as the audience was seen laughing out loud. Next came another hilarious joke. “Just married makes it sound like they're already disappointed,” the comedian said, making everyone further excited about what he had to tell. “Isaac Newton died a virgin that means I have one up on history’s greatest scientific genius, because I am not dead.” Hearing this, Cowell was tapping on his table and bursting out with uncontrollable laughs.
“I went to the grocery store; the sign said no food or drinks inside,” expressing his awkwardness, Schwartz then added, “so I went home.” This had everyone cheering, as the audience and judges clapped enthusiastically and the hall echoed with laughter. As soon as the contestant thanked everyone on stage, Cowell and Mandel were instantly seen getting up from their seats, giving Schwartz a standing ovation. “You hear that? What does that feel like?” Mandel asked, to which Schwartz stated, “Um, relieving.” Expressing herself, Julianne Hough stated that the performance had a rough start. “And then honestly, you got me.”
Hough also mentioned that Schwartz’s one-liner jokes seemed perfect and that she loved his on-stage act. Gabrielle Union then mentioned, “You killed,” also adding that Schwartz was a star, “You are a freaking star, man,” she reiterated. Cowell told the contestant that in the first half, he thought the act wasn’t going great, “and then the second half was really funny.” “I like you a lot,” Cowell added, with which even Mandel agreed. The comedian from the judging panel further stated that although Schwartz was really nervous, “you were so wonderful.” He also gave Schwartz his first yes, followed by three other yeses from Union, Cowell, and Hough. According to Fandom, Schwartz was eliminated in the Judge Cuts round.