Simon Cowell Shocks ‘AGT’ Fans When Shining a Light on Contestant’s Granddaughter: “People Are Going To Root for You”

Returning for season 20 of America’s Got Talent, Simon Cowell sat beside Howie Mandel and Sofia Vergara to help judge the competition. At the same time, Mel B made her way back to the judge’s panel after replacing Heidi Klum. And with Terry Crews returning as the host, the season officially kicked off on May 27th. Over the last few weeks, the judges watched as numerous acts hoped to move past the auditions. But for Gina Bellina, her audition took a drastic turn when Cowell learned that her granddaughter, Lilliana, was the one who pushed her to perform. 

When sharing a little about herself with the judges, Bellina revealed that Lilliana signed her up for AGT without her even knowing. “She signed me up. I only found out two days before I was meant to be here. I thought she was crazy, but she believed in me.” While not wanting to let her granddaughter down, Bellina moved ahead with the audition. And even with her gaining support from the audience, Cowell couldn’t help but focus on Lilliana. 

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Simon Cowell Helps Lilliana And Gina Bellina Move To The Next Round

With Bellina performing an original song by her granddaughter, Cowell finally had enough, pausing the performance. He turned to Lilliana, asking, “Did you write that song? You did? Can you sing it?”

Although a little hesitant at first, Lilliana seized the moment and started to perform. With the judges and fans shocked over her voice, Cowell insisted, “You’ve got Gina here, but weirdly Gina got you here. You’ve got the better voice. You’re cool, and I think people are going to root for you. So, as long as Gina, you’re prepared to let Liliana sing, this could work.”

Vergara appeared to side with Cowell as she added, “We would have never known you had this beautiful, beautiful voice if Simon hadn’t asked you to sing. I think people are going to love you.”

While Mel B ended up voting “no”, the decision came down to Cowell. And with his knowledge of the music industry, he knew Lilliana had something special, pushing her forward to the next round. Don’t miss America’s Got Talent, airing on NBC on Tuesdays and available to stream on Peacock.

(America’s Got Talent, 2025)