JJ Pantano; An Eight-Year-Old Comedian and Entertainer Who’s Warmed Our Hearts #NextGenSeries

(Last Updated On: February 15, 2021)

Photo credit by NBC Universal

JJ Pantano is only 8 years old and is already making waves in the entertainment industry as a comedian and a singer. His performance on Australia’s Got Talent earned him the Golden Buzzer taking him straight to the semi-finals and winning over the hearts of a nation. Since then, JJ has become famous, appearing on numerous TV shows, radio shows, and commercials. Earlier this year, JJ appeared on Season 2 of America’s Got Talent: The Champions. He received judges votes from Howie Mandel and Simon Cowell, sending him to the semi-finals. He returned in the season finale where he was invited to interview the judges in a talk-show setting.  We got a chance to chat with JJ about where he gets his sense of humor, his experiences on roasting the judges, and why he wants to be a talk show host.

Hi JJ.  You were so cute and funny on Australia’s Got Talent. 

Why do you love the stage so much?

I really love making the audience laugh. When the audience laughs, I just love it.  It makes me happy. It’s my happy place.

I thought your AGT routines were so funny when you roasted the judges. How did you come up with those jokes?

I thought your AGT routines were so funny when you roasted the judges. How did you come up with those jokes?

I did a lot of research on the judges and found out things about them and then I twisted it, a bit like a twistie to try and make it funny.

Is “Roasting” your main routine?

Yes, it’s what people know me for because of AGT but I do comedy too. I started off telling dad jokes when I was 5 years old. I’m also an actor and I’ve just started singing.

Do you want to host your own talk show one day? You were a natural with the AGT judges and the winners of Fast Track.

Thank you. Yes, I would. That would be a dream come true. Interviewing the judges for America’s Got Talent: The Champions was epic.  I thought I was going home after the semi-finals so it was such an honor to come back and interview Simon Cowell, Howie Mandel, Heidi Klum, Alesha Dixon & Terry Crews.  I loved interviewing them so much so thank you, Simon Cowell, for giving me such an awesome opportunity.  I have actually interviewed a couple of other really cool celebrities in Australia too for my YouTube Channel and I’m going to do more of it so if you’re not afraid to be interviewed – hit me up!  I really love being a host. It’s right up my alley.

Who is your favorite talk show host?

Well, I have to say Ellen De Generes, Kelly Clarkson, and Jimmy Fallon. Mum and dad let me stay up late to watch Jimmy Fallon a few times when I was in America.  That was a real treat. 

Who is your favorite comedian?

My favorite is Howie Mandel of course.  He is just a legend.  I just binge-watched his stand-up comedy from over the years on YouTube and I watch him every day on Tik Tok.  He is hilarious.  He can make anything funny.  He can get a shoe and make it funny or an ant and make it funny. He has been so supportive and encouraging of me. He gave me his judge’s vote on America’s Got Talent: The Champions with Simon which was such an honor.  I got to hang out with Howie a bit when the show finished which was so much fun.  He really inspires me.  I’ve learned so much about comedy from him and I hope I get to work with him again one day.

I’ve also been watching Adam Sandler and Jim Carey movies lately.  They’re very funny actors too. 

Which family member did you get your sense of humor from?

Dad thinks it’s from him but it’s actually from my mum.  Don’t tell dad I said that though, haha 

What are some of your favorite pranks to pull on your family?

Sometimes when my grandparents pick me up from school, I hide at the side of the house when I get home and my grandparents pretend they forgot to pick me up and left me at school. My mum falls for it every time. Haha. I also like getting Oreo biscuits and scraping the cream off them and filling them with toothpaste and then giving them to mum and dad to eat.

Tell us about your first single and music video “They Just Don’t Get It”. Where did you get the idea for it?

My mum and my grandfather are singers but I was actually inspired to sing by Simon Cowell.  He thought I was a singer when I first walked onto the stage at America’s Got Talent: The Champions so I thought why not give it a go! I wanted to record a song other kids my age would like so my song is about kids not getting enough screen time because let’s face it, all kids want more screen time.

Do you hope to land a role on a Nickelodeon or Disney Channel show? Which one would be your dream job?

That would be epic.  I’d love to be on a Disney or Nickelodeon show.  I watch Disney and Nickelodeon all the time.  I’d love to have my own show where I’m a funny kid superhero or something like that or host my own talk show. It would be a dream come true.

What are some of your favorite hobbies?

When I’m not performing, I love gaming, watching movies, riding my scooter and my bike and reading and playing board games like Chess with my family. I like to play with Lego too.

Thank you for the chat, JJ. We wish you lots of luck in your success. You can follow JJ on Instagram at @jjpantano and watch some of his comic routines on his YouTube channel.

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