Canadian comedian John Hastings wowed the judges when he performed to an almost entirely empty theatre on America’s Got Talent (AGT).
Ahead of his set, Toronto-born Hastings explained that he was born three months premature with dyspraxia, a neurological disorder that impacts an individual’s ability to plan and process motor tasks.
“It’s a pretty rare disorder. I was born without reflexes and eye-hand coordination. I had the balance of a baby giraffe… and so I was picked on,” Hastings explained.
“One day when I was 10 I said a zinger to a bully and the entire class collapsed in laughter and he never said it again.
“Did that lead me to my current profession? That’s for psychologist and anyone with ears to really figure out,” the comedian, who was raised in Ottawa, added.
When Hastings went out on stage, judge Howie Mandel said, “nothing like showing up for America’s biggest talent show on a day where there’s no audience.”
“Let’s see how this goes,” Hastings, 34, said on stage. “I’ve played a gig for two guys and a dog, and the dog left, and this is in contention for the weirdest gig I’ve ever done in my life.”
He continued, “Like, Howie Mandel, Sofia from Modern Family and Simon Cowell are all here, no one is in this room. I’m not even nervous, I just feel like I took drugs and I’m about to wake up.”
In his routine, Hastings joked about his age.
“I’m 34. I don’t look like any age. I just look like I’ve been through stuff and 34 is a difficult age because it’s not old but it’s old enough that the world’s changed,” Hastings said.
“I’m old enough to remember there was a time when you saw a fella with a neck tattoo and then you thought, ‘I’m about to see a dead body.’ Now, you see a fella with a neck tattoo all you think is, ‘this latte is going to be amazing.”
When Hastings was done his routine he received three yeses from the judges.
He thanked Madel for his “standing ovation with three people and a crew that wants to go home.”
“That’s called reading the room,” judge Simon Cowell said.
Global News spoke to Hastings about his audition after he received his three yeses and moved onto the next round of AGT.
“It was so crazy — nerve-wracking and also super not nerve-wracking as it was just so ridiculous that it felt like I was hallucinating. It was an amazing relief to get it over with,” Hastings told Global News of his audition.
“That said, the show was taped as Los Angeles was shutting down so I had 30 seconds to celebrate and then I had to run home and pray I did not get COVID,” he added of his experience.
“The whole thing did not hit me until it actually aired on Tuesday it was a wave of relief.”
Comedian Garey Busey congratulated Hastings on a “great job” on Twitter.
Canadian comedian Tom Green told his followers to “check out Ottawa’s John Hastings!!!! Go John Go!”
AGT host Terry Crews tweeted, “LOL! @thejohnhastings was AMAZING tonight on #AGT, even without an audience he was on fire!”
Mandel tweeted,” You were hilarious @thejohnhastings well done #AGT.”
Hastings will appear again later this season on America’s Got Talent.