Kevin Downey Jr.’s quarterfinal performance on America’s Got Talent 2013

Kevin Downey Jr. was the first of the six comedians to perform in the quarterfinals of 2013’s edition of America’s Got Talent.

A pre-taped package on Downey showed him at home with a Howie Mandel record (!), and him saying: “You play it safe and no one’s ever going to know who you are. So, I’m here to swing for the bleachers. Hope I don’t suck!”

His act, portrayed with giant light-bulb letters of his initials KDJ behind him onstage at Radio City Music Hall, was heavy on sexual innuendo. There even was a chloroform-as-cologne joke (spoiler alert!) for you fans of jokes promoting that certain kind of culture whose existence has been debated about by bloggers and comedians recently. And AGT judge Heidi Klum said she wasn’t a fan of it. Howard Stern loved Downey, however. Mel B. was mixed. And Mandel said he thought Downey’s character and delivery would be repeated by people everywhere. Which is really saying something, since Downey’s delivery owes a lot to Mandel’s stand-up of the 1980s.

Here’s the performance clip.

Will your votes keep Downey around to compete for the title? Stay tuned to America’s Got Talent and find out.

Sean L. McCarthy

Editor and publisher since 2007, when he was named New York's Funniest Reporter. Former newspaper reporter at the New York Daily News, Boston Herald and smaller dailies and community papers across America. Loves comedy so much he founded this site.

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