AGT Season 9 Winner Magician Mat Franco Continues to Thrive in 2022
Corey Cesare
Corey Cesare is Talent Recap's Managing Editor and featured YouTube Host. She has a love of all things pop culture and an unhealthy obsession with celebrities. Corey earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism and Cinema/Screen Studies from the State University of New York at Oswego in 2021. She spends her spare time shooting astro, nature, and portrait photography, and coming up with movie ideas that she hopes to make into a film someday.
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| February 20, 2022 SIGN IN TO SAVE POST
NBCReading Time: 2 minutes
Mat Franco is known for being the first ever magician to win America’s Got Talent. He has returned to the AGT stage almost every season since winning the series. He first won over American with magic tricks that always left fans questioning “How did you do that?” To this day, I think his audition is one of the most memorable performances on the show. His card trick storytelling was something totally new for the AGT stage.
Many AGT fans remember Shin Lim as one of the best magicians but many forget that Mat actually won the series before him. In May 2014, Mat was crowned the first magician to win America’s Got Talent. Since his victory he’s returned to the stage as a guest in every season except seasons 13 and 14. Not only was he the first magician to win, he was the first non-singing act to win over a singer in the Top 2.
Most recently, Mat came back to the AGT stage to perform in the finale with fellow storytelling magician, Dustin Tavella and special guest Rico Rodriguez. Since the summer he continued his Las Vegas show, Mat Franco: Magic Reinvented Nightly at The LINQ Hotel.
Winning the series skyrocketed Mat to fame. Exactly one year after winning the series he starred in the 2-hour special Mat Franco’s Got Magic. It was around the same time that his show in Las Vegas began.
In 2022, Mat has also become an online sensation. He has more than 151,000 followers on Instagram and more than 153,100 on Tiktok. Within both social media outlets he performs magic that many think is created through the use of special effects.
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Mat’s Run on AGT
At 25 years old Mat took to the America’s Got Talent stage as a self taught magician. In his audition, he told a story using his magic and deck of cards. Right away Howard Stern, Heidi Klum, Mel B, and Howie Mandel knew Mat would be a star. He received four “Yeses” and continued in the competition.
As the competition went on, his tricks became more intricate and even more shocking. Throughout the weeks he showed off more card tricks, mind boggling illusions, and amazing stories. He was loved by America and won the series over singer, Emily West. Mat paved the way for other magicians on to AGT. At the time, he was the first magician to win America’s Got Talent, as well as surpass the Top 5. Both Shin Lim and Dustin Tavella followed his path, winning seasons 13 and 16 respectively.
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