Watch British comic perform live to millions

British improv rapper Chris Turner has made the semi-finals of America’s Got Talent.

The Manchester-born comic performed live to millions of viewers on NBC last night, with no script and only audience suggestions to guide him.

He asked Instagram for topics to rap about minutes before his live performance, before judges picked out: Terry Crews in White Chicks, mushy peas, and vegetable cream cheese. Then Simon Cowell put forward his own suggestion: ‘Make sure your plums are ripe’.

After his performance in the show’s 20th season, Turner admitted to show host Crews that ‘I’ve never even seen White Chicks.’

Giving her verdict, judge Mel B gushed: ‘That was lit! That was on it! That was improvisation to the max. You are incredible.’

Howie Mandel said: ‘A-maz-ing. That’s really off the top of your head. You were comedic, you were musical, you were magical. You are everything that the 20th anniversary needs.’

Sofia Vergara added: ‘Chris, you're so clever. You can do this and it seems so effortless and creative and you have a great stage presence.

And Cowell said: ‘You’re smart. You're funny. It's unique. You're gonna remember this. It was all in the moment. That was so funny.’

Rapper Micah Palace won Cowell’s golden buzzer to get through to the final – and three of the other ten acts in the semi-final will advance based on viewers’ votes. Crews will announce the results tonight.

The other acts were singers Jessica Sanchez, Austin Brown and the Benn Family Band, juggling duo Messoudi Brothers; crossbow shooter Anna Saranina, aerial duo Jacqueline & Wagner, dancer Maceo Harrison and AI magician Mastermind.

Now based in New York, Turner cut his teeth on the UK comedy circuit where he was a finalist in  So You Think You're Funny 2010 and the BBC New Comedy Awards 2011. He was also a competitor in the  2011 Chortle Student Comedy Awards. 

In 2014, his debut Pretty Fly won the Amused Moose People's Choice award for best show at the Edinburgh Fringe, and he has returned to the festival almost every year since. 

In the US, he became one of the first comedians to ever perform a Las Vegas residency with Cirque Du Soleil, has appeared on The Late ​Show with Stephen Colbert and has racked up more than 100 million views online for his  improvisational raps, many filmed at Manhattan’s Comedy Cellar, where he is a regular.

Published: 3 Sep 2025