It is a pleasure to meet you.
As I told you when I saw you earlier today, before you won,
I said, you've got to have Brandon on the show.
We got to-- somebody call Brandon right away.
I just thought you were unbelievable from the very
first time I saw you.
Well, thank you.
I mean to get that from you, I will completely
ignore all the internet trolls who like to throw shade my way.
Good.
Good for you.
So you're standing there, and obviously they
hadn't had a spoken word poet on before.
And you're in the finals.
Did you think, I have a shot at this?
Were you surprised when you heard your name?
Oh, no.
Most certainly surprised.
To be honest with you, I thought that Cristina Rae
was going to win.
Because she was absolutely phenomenal
in her finals performance.
But when they threw her out at-- well,
when she got eliminated at third, I was like, dang,
I actually have a realistic shot at winning this thing.
So when they called my name, I just dropped to my knees.
Said a quick little thankful prayer.
And immediately was just overjoyed at the journey
I was able to go on.
Yeah, yeah.
I'm just so excited for you.
I'm happy for you.
Because I know you auditioned three years ago
and they didn't put you on.
Oh yeah, no.
Three years ago I went and tried out and got a hard no.
And to be honest, that was actually a really great benefit
for me though.
In those three years, I matured a lot as a person.
I grew a lot as an artist.
And it really gave me an opportunity
to come and be prepared to not only handle the stage,
but to also handle all of the things that would come
afterwards, in terms of social media and all the other stuff
that you have to take care of.
Yeah, I mean, I think there's something
to be said for working hard and not just overnight success
and going through a lot of rejection.
It helps you.
So how old were you when you first started doing this?
Good old middle school.
I couldn't sing, so being an R&B head,
I would write poems for girls who I thought were cute
and never really share them.
That wasn't really my whole thing, especially
being a basketball player.
But then when I went to college, I
started a group entitled, Called To Move,
which is my business and nonprofit.
And it was just an eclectic group of weirdos on campus
who didn't really have a place.
But we were all artists who wanted something
to be able to call our own and to share.
So, yeah.
You can tell-- you talk about personal things.
So it helps you.
I mean, I find writing is so cathartic.
So when you're writing, you're working through a lot of stuff
and then you're sharing it.
Yeah.
I mean, writing is a really big space of healing for me,
accompanied with my time with God.
I use writing to help me process through different issues
between faith, politics, family, the whole thing.
And it gives me a space to be able to judgment free express
my thoughts and then discern how I'm feeling about something,
and then share it with the world.
Yeah.
And now, you've got a million dollars.
Yep.
What are you going to do with a million dollars?
For myself, Sallie Mae is waiting
for me to give her a call and pay off some of them
student loans, as well as the people got
the mortgage on my house.
But bigger than that, I'm looking forward
to really giving back to Stockton.
I was leading poetry workshops in my town with grade school
kids.
And we had published over 700 youth in the past three years.
And so this upcoming time, I'm really looking forward
to going back, whether it be virtual or in person,
to be able to make sure that I'm not
the last poet out of Stockton.
So that's the hope.
Listen, I think you're going to inspire so many people.
And like you said, OK, I can't sing, but I have this talent.
So spoken word is--
I think it's beautiful.
I hope this starts a whole new wave of that.
And today you're doing something you wrote about Breonna Taylor,
right?
Yes, no.
On the day of my winning, unfortunately
came a tragic loss for a great deal of this country.
And so I never really got my shot
to share my feelings about it.
So I figured why not today?
Today.
I can't wait to hear it.
I can't wait for people to see you.
We're going to take a break and Brandon's going
to perform when we come back.
We'll be right back.
Performing a brand new poem for us,
please welcome back the winner of "America's Got Talent,"
Brandon Leake.
[APPLAUSE]
To be honest, I'm not going to apologize for this piece.
The utilization of my voice to speak
for those whose absence from this earth
beckons my pen to scribble them back into existence.
And besides, I mean, God gave me this gift,
so I figured I might as well use it.
So Breonna Taylor, you will forever
live within the ink of my pen and on the forefront
of my conscience.
You were an EMT in the process of becoming a nurse.
You carry love in excess, care for others you possessed.
A beloved daughter you were.
A diamond on full display, the way
that you watched for your community,
it was so clear to see.
4K plus 10.
You were a shining example to your family and friends.
And I hate the fact that I have to speak of your name
in the past since.
And I hate the fact that I have to list off
your accomplishments, just so that way somebody else's
consciousness can perceive or receive
that your humanity had value.
And I hate the way our culture will dig up somebody's past
before we've even dug them a grave,
just so they can justify their hate.
But since we're here, I figure I might as well
address the issue.
So one, no, Breonna was not fired as an EMT.
She was still joyfully employed when she was murdered.
Two, no, Breonna was not responsible for any body
in the trunk.
That man was apprehended and pled guilty to the crime.
Three, no, Breonna was not smuggling drugs
and nor was her current boyfriend at the time.
And four, no, Breonna did not deserve to die.
Even if all the things on which I just spoke about her
were true, and they are not she still
should have been given her due process.
But instead, bullets in excess came through
in repossess a beloved daughter.
A diamond on full display so clear to see.
And I know what some of y'all out there are thinking.
And I dang sure agree that not all cops are bad.
But in the same breath, I must affirm that all black folks
ain't criminal.
And my question to you all is as a citizen,
how am I supposed to discern the difference between a good cop
and a bad cop, when they both function under a broken system.
And the good cops remain complicit.
So Breonna, the tragic news of your case
came in the accompaniment of one of my most joyous of days.
I know this poem ain't much, but I hope the movement of my pen
can somehow help make it right.
Because this ain't right.
[APPLAUSE]
You're amazing.
Go to our website to find out how
you can apply for the next season of "America's Got
Talent."