Overview
- During Week 2 Quarterfinals performances on Tuesday, Aug. 25, judge Melanie “Mel B” Brown pressed the live Golden Buzzer for 16‑year‑old singer‑guitarist Nene Royal, instantly advancing her to the Season 21 finals.
- The show is running a new format that pairs one weekly live Golden Buzzer with expanded viewer voting; America can vote via NBC’s site, the AGT mobile app, and TikTok from the start of the Tuesday live show until 7 a.m. ET the next morning.
- Simon Cowell remained off the judges’ panel for a multi‑week recovery from a routine back procedure, leaving Howie Mandel, Mel B and Sofia Vergara to provide feedback and use the Quarterfinals buzzer power.
- Three additional acts from Week 2 will move on to the semifinals based on America’s vote and were to be revealed on the results show on Wednesday, Aug. 26, reflecting the season’s shift toward viewer‑driven advancement.
- Producers have reinstated one live Golden Buzzer per Quarterfinal week after earlier reports said judges would not get them, a change that raises the stakes for judges’ choices and increases the value of social‑media campaigning for contestants as the live rounds run through early September.