Who is Daniel Alvarez? Comedian in wheelchair performs for Howie Mandel to earn another shot on 'AGT'
'America's Got Talent' just aired the second part of the 'Judges Callback' round. One of the hopefuls who performed in this round was stand-up comedian Daniel Alvarez. His brilliant performance during the auditions quickly pushed him into the spotlight. The comedian moved through to the next round with four yeses and was called back to perform one more time during the live shows. He was one of Howie Mandel’s picks and performed for him in a comedy club. This performance would determine whether his dream run on 'America's Got Talent' would continue. Alongside Mandel, one of the world's best comedians, Nikki Glaser was also present to share her views on the performance.
Since his audition aired during the July 7 episode of the show, he has gained a huge fanbase. The Los Angeles native arrived in his wheelchair with plenty of suave during his first appearance. He then spoke to the judges and revealed the tragic story behind his condition. The Uber driver shared that he was shot while leaving a Halloween party in 2007, and has since been in a wheelchair. “I got shot at a Halloween party. There’s nothing funny about that except the fact that I was dressed as Spider-Man. Yeah, my spidey senses did not go off,” he said. In a conversation with Voyage LA, he said, “It has been a very difficult experience having to adjust to life in a wheelchair and not being able to move or feel from the chest down,” he previously told Voyage LA. “I’ve had to learn how to do almost everything again. The biggest adjustment has been mental. People see you as less than or not equal to when you're in a chair.”
Before his performance in the 'Judges Callback' round, Mandel said he was probably "the most authentic comic" he had seen. Alvarez's material focused on dreams and dating. "A friend of mine recently was like, 'Hey, do you walk in your dreams?' And I was like, 'Actually, I'm out here skipping in my dreams, you know? I'm out here just, and then I just wake up mad as hell, you know,'" he said as one of his jokes in the set. After the set, Glaser called him "likable" but gave him advice on how to smooth out some of his rough edges.
Alvarez believed he did not stand out as much as he should have, especially compared to Cris Sosa, another comedian vying for a spot in live shows. “I feel like I came out, like, I’m not ready,” Alvarez shared with another contestant. “Compared to Cris, I think he said he’s been doing it 14 years? I’m still new.” The moment of truth arrived after all the performances, and to his delight, Alvarez made it through to the live shows. 'America's Got Talent' continues to air new episodes every Tuesday at 8/7c on NBC.
