Who is Borah the Witch? 'AGT' Season 19 street performer delves into Salem's haunted history of witch trials

'AGT' Season 19 street performer Borah the Witch breaks misconceptions about witch hunts
PUBLISHED JUN 11, 2024
Street performer Borah the Witch to make 'AGT' Season 19 debut (Instagram/@salemsblackhatsociety)
Street performer Borah the Witch to make 'AGT' Season 19 debut (Instagram/@salemsblackhatsociety)

SALEM, MASSACHUSETTS: 'America's Got Talent' Season 19 contestant Borah Brewington Snaggletooth XIII is a character played by Brian Sims who resides in Salem, Massachusetts. Brian, originally from South Carolina, moved to Massachusetts with his husband in 2016.

He attended the University of Cincinnati's College-Conservatory of Music for Dramatic Performance and The Burt Reynolds Institute for Theatre Training in Jupiter, Florida. According to his website, Brian has appeared in numerous national, regional, and international commercials. Additionally, he has starred in a few movies and worked for companies such as Sony and Coca-Cola, among others. 

Borah the Witch delves into Salem's haunted history, focusing on the infamous 1692 witch trials. The character reveals gruesome details about supernatural occurrences and witch hunts, while also preserving the memories of Salem's witches who were wrongfully executed or accused before 1692.

Borah the Witch is thrilled about the upcoming appearance on the NBC show and expressed the excitement on Instagram. A video montage was shared on the character's social media with the caption, "Remember I posted a few times about filming an episode of a POPULAR tv show in CA!? WELL, you can catch my madness on AGT."

The NBC show contestant's caption continued, "Thank you all for your unwavering disgusting love and support. I could not do this without each and everyone one of you. I love ya from the bottom of my black heart!"


 
 
 
 
 
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A post shared by Salem’s Black Hat Society (@salemsblackhatsociety)


 

What is Salem's Black Hat Society?

'AGT' Season 19 contestant Brian Sims founded Salem's Black Hat Society (SBHS) in October 2016 when he first started street performing for haunted history in Salem as Borah Brewington Snaggletooth XIII. The group delivers fun, positive, energy-filled performances and donates the tips received from the audience to local children's charities.

SBHS also promotes local events, venues, and the business community in Salem. Additionally, Borah the Witch performs at birthdays, anniversaries, Christmas, and national and international events. The character also entertains guests at weddings and vow renewal ceremonies around Salem. The society includes another witch character's costume, Xander Diamond.

Salem's Black Hat Society donates tips to local charities (Instagram/@salemsblackhatsociety)
Salem's Black Hat Society donates tips to local charities (Instagram/@salemsblackhatsociety)

How was Borah the Witch character found?

'AGT' Season 19 contestant Brian Sims met Salem's street performer Priscilla in 2016. Priscilla had been performing as a bitch for the last four years and had several handmade witch costumes and hats. Brian had his first street performance and he didn't have any costumes.

He revealed in an interview that he "simply took several different characters from the German witch dance video and created one costume" and founded a new character, Borah the Witch. He shared that just two hours before the Halloween parade, "it just all came together for me, the walk, the energy, the voice, the whole character just snapped together in an instant."

Brian Sims founded Borah the Witch character (Instagram/@salemsblackhatsociety)
Brian Sims created 'Borah the Witch' character (Instagram/@salemsblackhatsociety)

'America's Got Talent' Season 19 airs on Tuesdays on NBC at 8 pm ET.

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