“America’s Got Talent” Season 21 moves into its live quarterfinals tonight, August 18, with all 10 Golden Buzzer acts from auditions automatically locked into the round and 34 more acts fighting for a spot in the semifinals.
FAQ
When do the AGT 2026 quarterfinals start?
The first live quarterfinal episode, “Quarterfinals 1,” airs Tuesday, August 18, 2026, at 8 p.m. ET on NBC, with results the following night.
Who are the AGT Season 21 judges?
Howie Mandel, Mel B, Simon Cowell, and Sofía Vergara return as judges, with Terry Crews hosting.
How many acts made the quarterfinals?
44 acts in total, including 10 automatic Golden Buzzer recipients from the audition rounds.
How the Quarterfinals Work
The 44 acts are split into four groups of 11 for the live quarterfinal rounds, spread across episodes airing August 18, August 25, September 1, and September 8. Each week, the judging panel awards one live Golden Buzzer that sends an act straight to the finals, while the studio audience’s vote determines three more acts who advance to the semifinals. That structure means tonight’s episode alone decides four of this season’s semifinalists before the next group even takes the stage.
An Unprecedented Number of Golden Buzzers
This season handed out Golden Buzzers at a rate rarely seen in the show’s history. For only the third time ever, each judge received two Golden Buzzers instead of the usual one, and host Terry Crews was given two of his own to award during auditions. That’s 10 total Golden Buzzer moments before the live shows even began, each one an automatic ticket into tonight’s quarterfinal lineup.
Standout Golden Buzzer Acts to Watch
Among the acts already locked into the quarterfinals: Terry Crews used his buzzer on Acro Crew, an act blending competitive gymnastics with trained dog performances. Howie Mandel sent returning illusionist Yu Hojin through with his buzzer, while Sofía Vergara’s pick was aerial pole artist Veronika Goroshkova. With acts spanning acrobatics, magic, and aerial performance already guaranteed a spot, tonight’s episode is shaping up as one of the more visually varied quarterfinal lineups in recent AGT seasons.
What Happens If You Miss Tonight’s Episode
Results from the first quarterfinal group air the following night, determining which of the 11 acts move on to the semifinals alongside whichever Golden Buzzer recipient the judges choose live. Fans who miss the broadcast can catch it the next day on Peacock, NBC’s streaming platform, which typically posts full episodes shortly after their broadcast airing.
The Road Ahead
With quarterfinal episodes spread across four consecutive weeks through early September, the competition now shifts from the broad audition pool down to a much tighter field. Each week’s results episode narrows the path toward the semifinals, building toward a finale later in the fall where a single act will be crowned the winner of Season 21.
Why This Season’s Judging Panel Matters
Howie Mandel and Simon Cowell remain the most consistent through-lines in the show’s judging history, with Cowell’s format experience dating back to the franchise’s British original. Mel B and Sofía Vergara round out a panel known for leaning into big, emotional reactions, something that’s helped fuel plenty of the show’s viral Golden Buzzer moments over the years — and this season, with double the usual buzzer count, there’s been more of those moments than ever before the live shows even started.
How the Live Vote Changes the Stakes
Unlike the audition rounds, where judges alone decide who advances, the quarterfinals hand real power to the studio and home audience for the first time this season. That shift tends to reward acts with broad, immediate crowd appeal over ones that impress purely on technical skill, and it’s part of why quarterfinal nights have historically produced some of AGT’s most unpredictable eliminations — a judges’ favorite from auditions doesn’t automatically translate into an audience favorite once the voting opens.
With four separate quarterfinal groups spread across four weeks, viewers also get a rare chance to compare acts across genres head-to-head within the same night, rather than the more scattered pacing of the earlier audition episodes. That format has become one of the more reliable engines of AGT’s live-show ratings each season, and this year’s stacked Golden Buzzer lineup gives it an especially strong opening night to build on.
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