It's been seven years since Darci Lynne Farmer took the stage of “America's Got Talent” to sing George Gershwin's “Summertime” with the help of her sassy bunny puppet named Petunia.
That audition garnered 67 million views on YouTube and solidified Farmer as the “AGT” contestant to beat this season. In the end, the then 12-year-old ventriloquist won – becoming the youngest winner in the show's history.
Now, at 19, Farmer has even more tricks up his sleeve. That's why she brings Petunia back to “AGT” to take part in a new spin-off.
Darci Lynne competes in “AGT: Fantasy League.”
Farmer is competing on “AGT: Fantasy League,” where the show’s four judges — Simon Cowell, Heidi Klum, Mel B and Howie Mandel — have each assembled their dream team over the years, consisting of 10 acts from “AGT.” Farmer was selected for Klum's team and made her debut in the “Fantasy League” on Monday evening.
And although both Farmer and Petunia are well known to the judges and the show's audience, the ventriloquist said her performance would likely surprise people.
“I came back to show the new side of me,” she said in a clip that aired before her “Fantasy League” audition. “I’m known for my ventriloquism, but I’m more than just a ventriloquist.
“I just don't want to be pigeonholed, so I'm doing something different for my performance tonight,” she added.
Farmer's performance began normally with a duet of “I've Got The Music In Me” with Petunia. However, after the first verse, the ventriloquist let go of Petunia, strapped on a guitar and took the lead in the song. But Petunia still managed to sing something from time to time.
Although the audience seemed to enjoy Farmer's performance, the “Fantasy League” judges weren't as convinced.
“I'm glad you didn't completely abandon Petunia because that's how we fell in love with you,” Klum said.
Mel B noted that she loved the simplicity of Farmer's performance back when she was 12 and that it was a back and forth with Petunia. She told Farmer that the fact that Petunia strapped on a guitar “dwarfed what you could do.”
Darci Lynne Farmer and her bunny doll Petunia compete in “AGT: Fantasy League.”
“There are very few people in the world who can do what you do,” Cowell added, noting that Farmer's combination of singing and ventriloquism was her “unique selling point.” “I think we got distracted from what you do so brilliantly.”
Farmer seemed disappointed by the feedback, but in the end the jury's criticism didn't matter much. The audience voted Farmer through to the semi-finals along with four other acts. The ventriloquist is now one of 20 performers competing in the semi-final round, which will air on January 29th and February 5th.
“I was really grateful for the opportunity to move on and show people who I am now, just because I think people froze me at 12,” she told The Oklahoman. “So I’m trying to break out of that somehow.”
The ten best acts will compete against each other in the “Fantasy League” final on February 12th. The winner will receive a grand prize of $250,000 on February 19th.
More about ventriloquist Darci Lynne Farmer
Farmer has appeared on “AGT” several times since her win in 2017 – including as a runner-up in the spinoff “AGT: The Champions” in 2019 (magician Shin Lim won).
“After I won, they asked me to come back every year to appear as a guest, and so I come back to the show every year and see everyone who was there when I was 12. So I measure my life like, 'Oh “I got my driver's license this year and then I did 'AGT,'” she told The Oklahoman.
Farmer began learning ventriloquism at age 10 to overcome her shyness, the Deseret News previously reported. And even though the art form didn't come easy to her, she now considers it “second nature.”
“I always thought that my puppets could get away with murder, but I couldn't,” she previously told the Deseret News. “It's funny, they say things that I would never say to anyone but they…get away with it, so it's pretty fun.”
Farmer's “AGT” win made her the third ventriloquist to win the show, following one of her idols, Terry Fator and Paul Zerdin. But she's bringing this skill to a younger generation – and she's proud of that.
“It's such a unique thing, so my whole goal was to bring it back and show people that it's OK to be shy,” Darci told the Deseret News in 2018. “…I wanted to bring this back to show all the kids out there.” Ventriloquism, so maybe they would pick it up and have fun with it. That was my whole goal.”
The Oklahoma City native has also worked over the years to pursue a music career without the help of her dolls. According to American Songwriter, she starred in the 2022 film “A Cowgirl's Song” and wrote and recorded the song “Just Breathe” for the soundtrack. She will also release her debut single “Push Our Luck” on February 5th.