Breathtaking 'AGT' performance leaves Simon Cowell speechless and Howie Mandel in tears
"You broke us."

I mean, who knew that drones could make you so emotional?" said Sophia Vergara.
Listen, just about every act on “America’s Got Talent” is emotionally impactful in its own unique way. But none have left viewers completely wrecked quite like one from last night’s episode (Sept 11).
Sky Elements has continuously wowed the “AGT” crowd with impressive drone shows, but for their semi-finals performance, the group carried out a breathtaking outdoor show which was dedicated to member Preston Ward's late infant daughter, Briley Rose.
As the song “Butterfly” by Liv Meola played in the background, the lit up drones depicted the image of a father and his little girl playing together. But as the father throws her up into the air, she turns into a butterfly and flies away.
Still, the poignant piece ended on a hopeful note, for as the father began crying, the butterfly flew around a giant rose, landed on the father’s finger and then transformed into an exalted phoenix.
When even the characteristically stoic Simon Cowell is left speechless, you know something profound took place.
Watch below:
- YouTubewww.youtube.com
After an immediate standing ovation, Cowell, visibly moved, could not find the words.
“That was, uh … That was, um — oh, gosh,” were all that came out before he let the other judges have their turn speaking.
Howie Mandel managed to share his appreciation for the loving tribute, noting how fitting that it came on Sept 11, marking a day in which so many people lost loved ones.
"I can't thank you enough for this," he said. "And I'm looking at your family members... There isn't an act that just moves your heart this much, and you just broke us."
Meanwhile, Vergara eloquently said what we’re all thinking:
“I mean, who knew that drones could make you so emotional? That was a surprise. That was so beautiful! That was, like, heartfelt, and I mean, I don't even know what to say. Congratulations! What a beautiful, beautiful job.”
Even host Terry Crews would later open up about how much the performance resonated. In an exclusive interview with People, he shared “Me and my wife, we know what it's like to lose a child. We've had three miscarriages. It's one of those things where it was so meaningful and special because the dedication is just, it's a way to process these things.”
It wasn’t just the live audience or judges moved to tears by Sky Elements’ performance. Just take a look at some of these comments from Youtube.
“This act really made me cry because we are living in a world where we are dealing with the loss of our people, our family, our friends who have passed and to those who lost someone in their heart, my heart goes out to all of you.”
“I was crying this whole act. It depicts the sadness of losing the people we loved most.”
“Gosh! The loss of her daughter and put into this spectacular drone show is just heartbreaking. Got me in tears.”
“OMG! I had a lump in my throat and tears were flowing. I was sobbing. What a sad story told in a beautiful way.”
“They really outdid themselves with this performance. This isn't the type of thing I would watch much of but the pairing of the song and the imagery turned on some tears. It was magic. Well done.”
After the performance, Ward shared that the group hoped their act “we really hope and wish that somebody that needs a little hope got something from that.”
Safe to say—mission accomplished.
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There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."
This article originally appeared in May.