Only Child Tells Judges He's Lonely — Simon Offers Extraordinary Reward

Sep 23, 2021 by apost team

Everybody knows that "America's Got Talent" judge Simon Cowell has a reputation for being just a little bit intimidating and harsh at times. Well, he showed a different side on an episode back in 2018 when a 13-year-old boy appeared on stage.

After being asked what he'd buy with $1 million if he won, then 13-year-old contestant Jeffrey Li answered that he'd buy a dog because he's an only child and gets lonely. Simon then made him an offer that if he did well on the show — meaning he didn't need to win — he'd personally buy him the pet dog. What a kind gesture!

It all started with a pre-performance question and answer segment. Little Jeffrey Li introduced himself and told everyone that he was from Toronto, Canada. The crowd cheered him on. Next, Heidi Klum wanted to know what the boy would do with $1 million. That's fair for her to ask, right? He gave the most adorable answer ever and said that he would like to buy a dog with the prize money because he is an only child and often gets lonely.

That's about as honest as anyone could ever get.

Something overwhelmed mister Cowell at that moment, and he made a promise to young Jeffrey that if he did well, he would personally buy him a brand new dog. He didn't say he had to win, and he didn't say he had to win the $1 million.

He simply said, "If you do well, I will buy you a dog, and we will go get one together."

Now, the song that Jeffrey chose to sing was not simple. It's not a song for amateurs at all. He chose "You Raise Me Up" by Josh Groban. It is very beautiful, and it has a whole slew of extremely high notes. Jeffrey was quite adorable, but there was a sense of doubt about him being able to perform that song because it's so versatile.

Cowell gave him a little bit of encouragement by saying, "All right. Let's do this one for the doggie." Jeffrey was likely inspired to give his very best performance given that he was going to get a dog if he did.

The performance that he gave is almost indescribable. It seems that everyone could tell that Jeffrey gave it everything he had. What’s more, he was enjoying himself while he sang the song as well. Before the performance, he said he chose this song because it lifted his spirits whenever he was down. It’s almost as if we could see his spirits lifting as he sang every note.

Many in the audience gave Jeffrey a standing ovation, seemingly impressed with the teen’s ability to tackle such a well-known song.

“Jeffrey, I think you might be getting a puppy pup soon,” Klum says following the young man’s performance.

“Well, Jeffrey, talk about stakes! Right? Thirteen years old, coming out in front of (3,000), 4,000 people and you’re singing one of the biggest songs in the world,” Cowell says. “But I’m not going to tell you yet what I think of it until the very end.”

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In anticipation of Cowell’s final verdict, the judges start to vote. As you can imagine, judges Howie Mandel, Mel B and Klum all give Jeffrey resounding and enthusiastic yeses. As for Cowell?

“Jeffrey, I think this was an amazing audition,” Cowell says while the crowd erupts into cheers. “I’m going to keep my promise. Not only have you got four yeses, you just got yourself a new dog.”

“We’ll choose one together,” Cowell adds.

Since Jeffrey’s performance was uploaded to YouTube, it’s received millions of views and thousands of enthusiastic comments.

“He literally gave me the chills when he hit that high note,” one viewer writes.

While there are hundreds of comments that praise Jeffrey for his exceptional voice, there are a whole host of humorous comments about his parents' reaction after Cowell promises to buy the young man a dog. Suffice to say that they don’t look too thrilled, as you can see in the video below.

“His dad's face is when Simon says he will get him a dog. Literal anxiety,” Abdullah Rafique commented.

“His mom wasn't crying because of him she was crying because she knew they were gonna get a dog🤣” Noah Newman adds.

While Jeffrey never explicitly confirmed whether Cowell lived up to his promise — or whether his parents even let him get a dog — a CTV News interview from 2018 gives us a hint. The interviewer enthusiastically brings up Cowell’s promise and asks whether he’s delivered.

“If I had a dog, I would have brought it with me,” Jeffrey says with a smile.

And, unfortunately, Jeffrey didn’t come away from the show’s 13th season with $1 million either. The young man’s last performance was during the Judge Cuts segment that preceded the quarterfinals. Jeffrey sang his heart out with an impressive rendition of Whitney Houston’s “One Moment in Time,” but it wasn’t enough to make it to the next round.

With that being said, Jeffrey hasn’t given up on his singing career. And many might not know that “America’s Got Talent” isn’t even the young man’s first time on television. In fact, Jeffrey has been singing since he was a baby, according to his interview with CTV News.

And when Jeffrey was just 10 years old, he appeared on China’s “New Generation of Sound” and Steve Harvey’s “Little Big Shots,” wowing audiences around the world with talent that seemed beyond his years. And since Jeffrey’s appearance on “America’s Got Talent,” the young man has continued to upload live performances and new material to his YouTube channel. His most recent uploads include original tracks that will appear on the young musician's forthcoming album “I Do If U Do.” Apart from newer music, Jeffrey’s YouTube is also a treasure trove of his lesser-known performances from when he was younger, including an adorable performance of “You Raise Me Up” from when Jeffrey was just 11 years old.

Fans of Jeffrey’s music can also follow the artist on Instagram, where he continues to update followers on new releases and his travels in Canada and China. And be sure to check out Jeffrey’s audition performance below.

What do you think? Does Jeffrey deserve a dog? We certainly think so! And don't forget to tell your friends and family members about this talented young man. He might be the next big thing.