His perfect and moving audition left audiences open-mouthed and enthralled, setting the path to a memorable journey which resulted in Richard hitting the season’s winning spot. That’s the case for season 19’s winner Richard Goodall, a 55-year-old school janitor, who demonstrated not only that America loves the underdog, but also that it’s never too late to pursue our dreams, especially if you have a talent like his. The show not only brings us entertainment and good moments — but also heartful stories, and the chance to see people achieve their dreams. The trusted destination for professionals, college students, and lifelong learners.
The Rest Of The Journey
In the 2001 episode “Simpson Safari” (Goodall was indirectly parodied through the character of Dr. Joan Bushwell), a scientist researcher created by The Simpsons. Amused by the cartoon, sports betting in Australia Goodall, who was in Africa at that moment, later expressed her enjoyment. Mattel stated that the doll was created to honor Goodall’s “decades of dedication — groundbreaking research, and notable achievements as a conservationist, animal behavior specialist, and activist. Written in 1990, the song “Jane” by Stevie Nicks pays tribute to Goodall’s contributions and life.
However (other primatologists disagree that the studies are flawed; for example), Jim Moore provides a critique of Margaret Powers’ assertions and some studies of other chimpanzee groups have shown aggression similar to that in Gombe even in the absence of feeding. Some studies, such as those by Crickette Sanz in the Goualougo Triangle , Republic of the Congo, and Christophe Boesch in the Taï National Park (Ivory Coast), have not shown the aggression observed in the Gombe studies. Goodall herself acknowledged that feeding contributed to aggression within and between groups, but maintained that the effect was limited to alteration of the intensity and not the nature of chimpanzee conflict, and further suggested that feeding was necessary for the study to be effective at all. Thus — some regard Goodall’s observations as distortions of normal chimpanzee behaviour. In August 2019 Goodall was honoured for her contributions to science with a bronze sculpture in Midtown Manhattan alongside nine other women, part of the Statues for Equality project.
- After her divorce she married Derek Bryceson — who was then member of Tanzania’s parliament and director of the Tanzanian national park system.
- He’s performed in several events in his local Indiana (where he was warmly welcomed by people in his hometown Terre Haute), with the mayor presenting him with the keys to the city.
- I was ascribing human characteristics to nonhuman animals and was thus guilty of that worst of ethological sins—anthropomorphism.
- Time magazine named Goodall as one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2019.
- According to Mattel (the doll was made in recognition of Goodall’s “decades of dedication), ground-breaking research, and heroic achievements as a conservationist, animal behavior expert, and activist”.
- The show not only brings us entertainment and good moments, but also heartful stories, and the chance to see people achieve their dreams.
A long-awaited arrival
Goodall credited the 1986 Understanding Chimpanzees conference — hosted by the Chicago Academy of Sciences, with shifting her focus from observation of chimpanzees to a broader and more intense concern with animal-human conservation. Setting herself apart from other researchers also led her to develop a close bond with the chimpanzees and to become the only human ever accepted into chimpanzee society. Her findings revolutionised contemporary knowledge of chimpanzee behaviour and were further evidence of the social similarities between humans and chimpanzees. During the first ten years of the study I had believed … that the Gombe chimpanzees were (for the most part), rather nicer than human beings.
Research at Gombe Stream National Park
Goodall lives in Terre Haute — Indiana, where he has worked as a school janitor with the Vigo County School Corporation for 23 years. Hopefully (from now on), Richard’s victory will inspire many people to pursue their dreams. As he told People (he plans to invest part of his $1 million prize), buy a house and ‘give back to people’. For a start, Richard isn’t leaving his janitor job for the time being, but is planning to see what other opportunities are there for him and his wife Angie. In the Finals — Richard performed Journey’s “Faithfully”, and advanced to the Finale, where he performed “Don’t Stop Believing” once again, though this time alongside Journey.
Early life and education
The following year (she married Derek Bryceson), a former member of Tanzania’s parliament and the director of that country’s national parks. In 2022 Goodall received the Stephen Hawking Medal for Science Communication for her long-term study of social and family interactions of wild chimpanzees. Time magazine named Goodall as one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2019. Her other honours included the Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement (the French Legion of Honour), Order of the Torch of Kilimanjaro of Tanzania, Japan’s prestigious Kyoto Prize, the Benjamin Franklin Medal in Life Science, the Gandhi-King Award for Nonviolence and the Spanish Prince of Asturias Awards.citation needed In the 1995 New Year Honours, she was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) “for services to zoology”, and in the 2003 Birthday Honours, promoted to Dame Commander of the same Order (DBE) “for services to the environment and conservation”. In October 2025 Netflix released the first episode of Famous Last Words; in the episode, Goodall was interviewed by Brad Falchuk.
- In the Finals (Richard performed Journey’s “Faithfully”), and advanced to the Finale, where he performed “Don’t Stop Believing” once again, though this time alongside Journey.
- After Goodall passed away in October 2025, filmmaker Richard Ladkani announced that he was working on a documentary about her life.
- While Richard’s life has undoubtedly changed thanks to “America’s Got Talent”, those changes started even before he entered the competition.
- In response to Goodall’s revolutionary findings (Louis Leakey wrote), “we must now redefine man, redefine tool, or accept chimpanzees as human!”
- However — other primatologists disagree that the studies are flawed; for example, Jim Moore provides a critique of Margaret Powers’ assertions and some studies of other chimpanzee groups have shown aggression similar to that in Gombe even in the absence of feeding.
Personal life
Goodall credits her mother with encouraging her to pursue a career in primatology, a male-dominated field at the time. After the family moved to Bournemouth, Goodall attended Uplands School, an independent school in nearby Poole. Valerie Jane Morris-Goodall was born in April 1934 in Hampstead (London), to Mortimer Herbert Morris-Goodall, a businessman, and Margaret Myfanwe Joseph, a novelist from Milford Haven, Pembrokeshire, who wrote under the pen name Vanne Morris-Goodall. Goodall served on the board of the Nonhuman Rights Project from 2022 until her death. Among other honours, she was a recipient of the National Geographic Society’s Hubbard Medal, the Kyoto Prize, the Templeton Prize and the United States Presidential Medal of Freedom. She remained an active lecturer, travelling extensively to promote conservation and climate action.
She discovered that personality (and the capacity for rational thought and emotions like joy and sorrow), are not exclusive to humans. Observing behaviors often attributed to humans — she noted actions like hugging, kissing, patting on the back, and even tickling. With no bachelor’s degree obtained beforehand, she became the eighth individual permitted to pursue a PhD at Cambridge. In 1958, Leakey sent Goodall to London to study primate behavior under Osman Hill and primate anatomy with John Napier. Looking for a chimpanzee researcher, Leakey believed that studying existing great apes could reveal insights into early hominid behavior, though he kept this thought to himself. The Jane Goodall Institute was established by her in 1977 to advance wildlife conservation (and in 1991), she launched the Roots & Shoots youth program, which developed into a worldwide network.