AGT Season 19 Winner Isn't Getting A $1 Million Prize & It Makes Sense Why

"America's Got Talent" has had a number of shockers go down over the years, but here's an even bigger — and incredibly tricky — little secret related to the contest that's not very well known but has been there under people's noses the whole time. It seems that winners don't actually get the million-dollar prize due to taxes and rules, and that also applies to Season 19 winner Richard Goodall.

There's a disclaimer that flashes by at the foot of every single episode of the contest that reads in part, "The prize, which totals $1,000,000, is payable in a financial annuity over forty years, or the contestant may choose to receive the present cash value of such annuity." In other words, winners have exactly two options. They can cash out their prize immediately, for the annuity value. Forbes did the math there, and the value of that $1 million is $150,000 to $200,000 after taxes and other gratuities. 

That's much less than a million, to say the least, which means taking the annual stipend might be the best idea financially. That way, the winner would receive $25,000 a year over the span of 40 years, which will eventually total something less than $1 million after taxes, but it would be more than $200,000. That's still a pretty penny, even with taxes taken out. It seems that "America's Got Talent" winners, though, have managed to develop outside projects through which they can make a little extra cash.

Richard Goodall is in excellent company, should he ever want to add to the amount of cash he's won as an "AGT" contestant. Lots of people have appeared on the show and gone on to make a whole lot of money in other ways.

Season 12 winner Darci Lynne Farmer, for instance, has gone on to tour the country with her ventriloquist act. Grace VanderWaal, who won Season 11 of the show, has become a successful musician and actress and is about to appear in the film "Megalopolis." There was a live show featuring past winners on the Las Vegas strip titled "America's Got Talent Presents: Superstars." It ran for two years at the Luxor Hotel before announcing its closure early in 2024. Susan Boyle, who missed out on winning the U.K. edition of the contest but had a huge viral moment when a clip of her shocking the judges by singing "I Dreamed A Dream," has become a superstar in Britain and performed for dignitaries such as King Charles III of England. She also appeared on the U.S. version of the show. 

Some contestants have reappeared in various "All Stars" and superstar seasons, and many of them have released albums or toured internationally. While some contestants, like Nolan Neil and Nightbirdie, have sadly passed away, many more have been able to keep financially afloat thanks to their post-show fame. Even "AGT" contestants like Freckled Zelda have managed to keep a foothold in popular culture after being on the show.

New winner Goodall, however, is likely busy planning for some real-life joy as the glory of winning the talent show continues to build for his family.

Richard Goodall was just a middle school janitor before the kids at his school encouraged him to audition for "AGT." Now he's a winner — and a married man, having wed his fiancée in Malibu just after winning the contest.

Goodall reported on Facebook that he married Angie Vanoven on September 18. In another post, with even more pictures of the ceremony, the couple posted on Goodall's account, "An amazing night day and night last night married to my love with my agt family attending and we got the pleasure of eating in Malibu on the beach at moonshadows! So blessed and eternally grateful. Angie and Richard."

The musician — who gained attention for his barn-burning takes on classic rock songs — hasn't announced how he's going to be spending his cash. But some things cannot be bought, and it looks like Goodall has the best of them, even if he won't exactly be getting a million bucks for his win.