It’s not easy for a comedian to win over an audience with a 90-second set on network television, but that’s just what Usama Siddiquee was able to do when he took the stage on Tuesday’s second episode of “America’s Got Talent.” Simon Cowell, Heidi Klum, Sofia Vergara and Howie Mandel couldn’t contain their laughter as they watched this medical school dropout explain his unfortunate mishaps in life. Watch Usama’s audition video above.
“I was going the med school track,” Usama admitted to host Terry Crews before his audition. “I was gonna go and the week before I was like, ‘Mom, Dad, it’s not gonna happen.’ I wanted to do comedy in New York. If you’re an immigrant dad or mom, a son going to med school is like triple sevens, you made it. When I told my mom she goes in the kitchen and starts banging on pots. My dad had a single tear. I had a little bit of money but New York is so expensive I was living in a foreclosed house with no water supply. I squatted. I couldn’t tell my parents how bad it was.”
As Usama took the stage Sofia asked him if he was a full-time comedian and Usama explained he’s a math tutor who takes terrible comedy gigs at terrible bars. When asked what his worst gig was, Usama replied, “My brother’s wedding. I did so bad my dad left during the set.” Simon could relate, stating he himself had given a speech at his brother’s wedding and his brother’s wife never spoke to him again.
Usama began his set joking about his own name, stating there was no relation to “the guy.” That drew a skeptical look from Simon, but Usama eventually broke the judges down with jokes about his mother and awkward, open relationship with his ex-girlfriend. Drawing the most laughs was a story about the time Usama’s girlfriend told him she was also dating a man named Alejandro. “Why?!” he screamed in horror that she had met a better lover. “You couldn’t do a Eugene? You couldn’t do a Simon?”
Following Usama’s routine, the judges applauded him with a standing ovation. “You have a confidence and a likability,” Howie said. “I love you, they love you, I think this is going to go well for you.”
Heidi complained the set wasn’t long enough and she wants to know more about Alejandro.
And Simon called his timing “perfect” and added it was “a great audition.”
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