Just before “America’s Got Talent” and other TV productions shut down in March due to the coronavirus, there was a brief period when shows that typically shot in front of a live studio audience soldiered on but got rid of their audiences entirely.
It was during one of these audience-free “AGT” shows that comedian John Hastings auditioned, telling jokes to crowd consisting of judges Simon Cowell, Sofia Vergara and Howie Mandel.
“Nothing better than showing up on the biggest talent show on a day when there’s no audience,” Mandel joked to Hastings prior to his routine.
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“Let’s see how this goes,” Hastings quipped. “I’ve played a gig for two guys and a dog, and the dog left, and this is in contention for the weirdest gig I’ve ever done in my life,” he explained. “Like, Howie Mandel, Sofia from ‘Modern Family’ and Simon Cowell are all here, no one is in this room. I’m not even nervous, I just feel like I took drugs and I’m about to wake up.”
In his routine, he joked about engaging in activities to stay young, like borrowing money from his parents.
Hastings revealed he borrowed the cash for a good cause: to pay for his wedding. While he admitted that one’s wedding is supposed to be the happiest day of a person’s life, he didn’t think that would be the case for him.
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“I once was on a bus and a homeless man farted so loud it knocked over a child,” he said. “Seeing my girlfriend walk up the aisle of a church will never make me that happy.”
When he completed his routine, he thanked his audience for “three standing ovations and a crew that wants to go home.”
