INDIANAPOLIS — An Indianapolis native is in the running to be the next "America's Got Talent" star.
Jack Williams, a 25-year-old ventriloquist, auditioned for the NBC talent competition, which will air Tuesday, June 14. He has been performing for 12 years and has over 1.1 million followers on TikTok, but is trying to take his act to the next level.
"I want to do this live on the Vegas Strip," Williams told the judges.
Three ventriloquists - Terry Fator (Season 2), Paul Zerdin (Season 10) and Darci Lynne (Season 12) - have won the competition in the past. Part of the grand prize for winning is a headlining act in Las Vegas.
"Terry was one of the first ventriloquists I ever saw, and when I saw him on the stage I just thought, 'I wanna do that, that's amazing,'" Williams said on the show.
In his audition, which was released online Friday by AGT, Williams performs an act with a rabbit named "Foster," bantering back and forth with the puppet with a tongue twister and a couple surprises.
"I love him," judge Howie Mandel said during the performance.
The preview video shared by the show cuts off before more judges can provide their reaction to Williams' performance and vote on the act, but all signs point to the Circle City native moving onto the next round's live performances.
Viewers who watched the audition preview on the WTHR Facebook page called the performance "amazing" and thought Williams is "very talented." Commenters on the AGT YouTube page were also anxious to see more from the Hoosier performer.
"America's Got Talent" airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on Channel 13.
