Sandra Risser has fans buzzing after her America’s Got Talent audition aired during the Tuesday, July 15, episode. The 84-year-old retiree, who was 83 at the time of her audition earlier this year, had the judges and audience cracking up with her stand-up comedy routine.
“I’m retired from the corporate world, I always wanted to be an entertainer,” Sandra told the judges. “When I finally retired, I said, ‘Go for it now, you’re not too old.’ Yes!” She also declared that she is going to be “the first comedian to win” the competition show.
After cracking jokes about “shopping,” which was her code work for “sex,” Sandra had judges Howie Mandel, Simon Cowell, Sofia Vergara, and Mel B. on their feet giving her a standing ovation. “I mean, you are a genius,” Vergara gushed. “You are brilliant. You are incredible. Your sense of humor is spectacular. I have not enjoyed a comedian this season as much as I have enjoyed you.”
Mandel said, “You’re amazing! This is memorable, this is viral. There is a shot for you to win this whole thing based on that routine. You’re a master.” Mel B said she “absolutely loves” Sandra, and Cowell added, “I would say that every great comedian needs a happy ending,” referencing the jokes she made in her set. Sandra received four yeses from the judges to move onto the next round of competition.
“Honestly one of the best comedian acts I’ve seen. Very clever,” one YouTube commenter wrote. Another added, ”
I watched this on YouTube right after seeing it on TV just to laugh again. She’s brilliant. No one 20 years younger could have delivered this as well,” and someone else said, “Woaw this lady is amazing! Brilliant! 😂😂😂 she should have gotten the golden buzzer cause her jokes are on another level …what a great act!”
Sandra lives in Arizona, is originally from Iowa and previously lived in New York City and San Francisco. Her husband was backstage with host Terry Crews during her audition. Prior to pursuing her comedy career, Sandra was “a teacher, computer programmer/systems analyst, [and] owned a travel agency,” according to her website. She got divorced from her first husband before marrying her current husband.
“She enthralls audiences with stories from her misspent youth, young adult antics, middle aged exploits, and senior adventures,” her bio says. “She shares stories about her ex-husband, living with Essential Tremors & aging.” Essential tremors cause “rhythmic shaking that you can’t control,” according to Mayo Clinic.
Meanwhile, Sandra is no stranger to pursuing new fields later in life. “When I was 48, 49, I became a competitive body builder,” she told AZ Central. “Then somehow that led to me doing community theater. And always in my mind, I wanted to try comedy but I didn’t know anything about it.” At the age of 61, she enrolled in a comedy college in San Francisco, which is where her passion grew.
America’s Got Talent, Season 20, Tuesdays, 8/7c, NBC