Who Won ‘America’s Got Talent’ Season 20? All About Jessica Sanchez

Jessica Sanchez had the ultimate comeback story as the winner of America’s Got Talent season 20.

The Texas-based singer started the season strong with a Golden Buzzer from judge Sofía Vergara and continued to impress both the audiences and judges week after week. During the finale on Sept. 24, she sang Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars‘ “Die With A Smile” for her final performance before being crowned champion — nearly two decades after auditioning for the first time.

“This has been 20 years in the making, this would mean everything,” Sanchez said before learning she had won the competition. Following the heartwarming moment, she reflected on her win to TV Insider, calling it “overwhelming.”

“It doesn’t seem real right now, but I’m so grateful. I was 10 years old when I tried out for the show the first time,” she said. “I had that seed of faith. Even though I was devastated when I didn’t make it in Season 1, I was determined to show people that I deserved to be in the limelight.”

So, who won America’s Got Talent season 20? Here’s everything to know about the champion, Jessica Sanchez.

She is from California

Sanchez grew up in San Diego’s Chula Vista neighborhood, per The Hollywood Reporter. According to NBC San Diego, she said of her hometown, “My heart is always in San Diego … I can’t wait to make you guys proud.”

According to the outlet, she now lives in Texas.

Sanchez first auditioned for America’s Got Talent when she was 10 years old

Before being crowned season 20 winner, Sanchez auditioned for the inaugural season of America’s Got Talent at just 10 years old. Though she was eliminated before the semifinals, Sanchez told TV Insider in September 2025 that being on that stage “catapulted” her dream to be a professional singer.

“That was the biggest stage that I had ever been on at that time,” the singer said. “I was like, ‘Oh wow, I feel like being on this stage is something I really want to do and maybe I can take this dream somewhere I never thought I could.’ ”

She went on to say that she had “so many amazing opportunities” in the years to follow, though didn’t get to “digest it properly” because she was so young.

“I feel like I was tugged back and forth of where people wanted me to be and who they wanted me to be,” Sanchez said, going on to say that she took a step back from music for a few years.

“I definitely needed that to be where I am today to be confident in myself, to know who I am, to know what I want,” she continued. “To come back 20 years later, back on the stage where it all started for me, I feel like I’m on cloud nine.”

She was runner-up on American Idol

America’s Got Talent isn’t the only reality competition show that Sanchez has left her mark on. In 2012, she competed on season 11 of American Idol.

During her time on the show, she performed a duet with Broadway star Jennifer Holliday, as she shared on Instagram.

Though she didn’t win, Sanchez came runner-up to “Gone, Gone, Gone” singer Phillip Phillips.

Sanchez was a guest star on Glee

While Sanchez has competed on several reality competition shows, she also had a stint on scripted television with a guest role in season 4 of Fox’s Glee. She appeared as the leader of the Hoosierdaddies, a rival choir to New Directions, during the Regionals competition.

In May 2013, she spoke to Teen Vogue about what it was like transitioning from reality to scripted TV, saying, “It is weird being on TV for the second time, doing a completely different thing. Now I have to act! Like a different person!”

“When Jordana Comiter Ryan Murphy called me, I told him ‘I can’t act!’ But he said he wanted me to do it—I started taking acting classes as soon as I heard,” she said. “I only had a couple lines, but I really hope that I don’t look like a terrible actor.”

She is expecting a baby with her husband

Sanchez is expecting her first child with her husband, Rickie Gallardo, whom she married in 2021, per TV Insider. According to the outlet, she found out she was pregnant just days after auditioning for season 20 of America’s Got Talent — but that didn’t stop her from going after her dreams.

“This year, I just felt this immense peace, like, I’m ready to do this. I took the leap and I found out that I was pregnant a couple days later, but it didn’t really hinder me from wanting to take that next step back on that stage,” she told the outlet. “If anything, it kind of motivated me a little bit because I’m like, now I get to do this with my daughter. It’s like a once-in-a-lifetime thing.”