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The Quarterfinals continue on the Tuesday, August 26, episode of\u00a0America\u2019s Got Talent<\/a>. Eleven more acts will take the stage, with four moving on (one through a judge\u2019s live Golden Buzzer and the other three based on America\u2019s votes).<\/p>\n One of the acts performing during the second night of Quarterfinals is singer Benjamin Hightower. He wowed the judges with his rendition of \u201cPink Pony Club\u201d during his audition<\/a>, and now he\u2019ll be hitting the stage once again.<\/p>\n Scroll down to learn more about the aspiring singer ahead of his Quarterfinals performance.<\/p>\n Benjamin is an Air Force veteran who is now a singer.<\/p>\n \u201cI was active duty in the military for seven years,\u201d Benjamin said during his\u00a0AGT audition. \u201cI made the really scary choice to get out of the military and take a chance on myself because I believe in my ability to be a performer.\u201d<\/p>\n He has released some music in the past, but it was his\u00a0AGT audition that made him go viral. Benjamin appears to be tight with Matt Rogers<\/a> of the Las Culturistas podcast, as he got a shoutout<\/a> on an episode that featured Michelle Obama<\/a> in June, during which Matt referred to Benjamin as his \u201cfriend.\u201d<\/p>\n Although there is a striking physical resemblance between Benjamin and Benson, who was previously on\u00a0American Idol<\/a>, they are absolutely not the same person. However, it\u2019s a question Benjamin gets quite often, as he even notes in his Instagram bio that he\u2019s \u201cnot Benson Boone<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n In June, Benjamin also posted a meme poking fun at the talk of his similarities to Benson. Above a clip of him singing and playing piano, the text said, \u201c\u2018Mom, can we go see Benson Boone?\u2019 \u2018We\u2019ve got Benson Boone at home.\u2019 Benson Boone at home:<\/p>\n He\u2019s also posted various other videos on social media on the topic, including the one above.<\/p>\n Benjamin has been open about his sexuality and identifies as a gay man, per a post on his Substack<\/a> from July 2024. \u201cI\u2019ve known I was gay since I was six and coming to terms with it has been a painful process,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n He shared that he joined the military because he felt it was \u201cmy chance to become a man, and more specifically, a straight man.\u201d Being raised as a Christian, Benjamin stayed closeted throughout his teenage years.<\/p>\n \u201cFrom an early age, my church had instilled in me that homosexuality was the ultimate shame and would lead to hell,\u201d he admitted. \u201cIn high school and college, I read every book on anti-gay theology and paid for a Focus on the Family conversion therapist to tell me that with enough self-deprivation, I could rewire my neural pathways to avoid homosexuality altogether.\u201d<\/p>\n After befriending another Christian family in the military with a gay son, Benjamin said his eyes were opened. He eventually moved to New York and came out to his own family and friends.<\/p>\n America\u2019s Got<\/strong> Talent, Season 20, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 8\/7c, NBC<\/strong><\/p>\n Read the latest entertainment news on TV Insider<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\nWho is Benjamin Hightower?<\/h2>\n
Is Benjamin Hightower also Benson Boone?<\/h2>\n
What is Benjamin Hightower\u2019s sexuality?<\/h2>\n