When comedians come out to perform on America’s Got Talent, they need to do something that helps them stand out from the crowd.
This season has seen some very funny comedians so far, with Mike E. Winfield as the standout so far, although Jack Williams did a great job at mixing comedy with his ventriloquism act as well.
However, when it comes to Hayden Kristal, she was able to take difficulties in her life, and at least one terrible situation, and turn them into comic gold.
Here is what you need to know about Hayden Kristal from America’s Got Talent.
Who is Hayden Kristal on America’s Got Talent?
When Hayden Kristal finished her standup routine in her audition round for America’s Got Talent, Simon Cowell asked if her story was true. She said it was.
Hayden Kristal is a deaf comedian, and she brought out a sign language interpreter to help her communicate with the judges.
This allowed her to open the audition with a great moment, where she signed her answers to the judge’s questions. However, she then brought up a mic and started talking. This allowed her to deliver her first joke.
She said that by opening with that, anyone heckling her is in violation of the ADA.
She then went into her act. She said that she had a double major in college. The first was American Sign Language, which was a “freebie” and the second was zookeeping. This made her a sign language zookeeper.
She then said that Koko the Sign-Language Gorilla had already died, so this comedy thing has to work.
She then told a story about how she tried to get a job at the Koko Foundation. However, they refused to hire her because of her disability. She said they told her she wouldn’t know if a gorilla was sneaking up on her.
She then asked the audience what they – as people who can hear – would do if a gorilla snuck up on them. She admitted they would just die a few seconds later than she would – but they would all be scared.
The judges loved her set and admitted that it was special that she took such a bad experience and made it into a funny act.
Where can you find Hayden Kristal on Instagram?
America’s Got Talent fans can follow Hayden Kristal on Instagram at @haydenkristal.
Hayden has over 86,000 followers and almost 1,300 posts. Her bio reads, “Comedian and activist for intersectional accessibility.”
“Being on @agt was a dream come true! I feel like I’ve already won,” she posted.
America’s Got Talent airs on Tuesday nights at 8/7c on NBC.