Simon Cowell has shattered the heart of another little girl.
Aspiring tween rapper Skylar Katz from Melville, New York, was left in tears on Wednesday night after failing to make it to the live rounds of America’s Got Talent.
The news came as a shock to the middle schooler, especially since just hours earlier, Cowell had praised her as “the coolest 11-year-old in the world.”
Judge Howie Mandel also appeared to be a big fan at first.
“You have the whole package,” he told her. “Not only do you have swag, but you also have talent. You’re a beautiful young lady, you have style, and you’re going places.”
During the second night of Judge’s Cuts, 20 acts performed, but only seven were chosen to move forward in the competition.
At the end of the show, the final spot came down to Skylar—whose musical influences include Biggie Smalls and Tupac—and 12-year-old country singer Kadie Lynn.
Cowell approached the heartbroken girl as she left the stage, telling her, “I’m sorry. I don’t want you to think for one second that you did anything wrong because you didn’t.”
Backstage, Skylar ran into her parents’ arms for comfort, saying, “I am disappointed, but I am going to keep going.”
The evening’s big winner was 14-year-old contortionist Sofie Dossi, who earned a Golden Buzzer from guest judge Reba McEntire.
She advanced to the next round along with Kadie, fellow contortionist Vello Vaher, 10-year-old magician Kaden Rockett, transgender comic Julia Scotti, singer Moya Angela, and knife-throwing daredevils Deadly Games.
Comedian Adam Grabowski, however, didn’t have as successful a night.
He received the only “X” of the evening and seemed to be practically booed off the stage after the crowd fell silent during his routine about women becoming aroused by desserts.
“Oh, my God, I feel so bad,” Mandel can be heard saying after the performance. “That hurt.”
Grabowski later explained that the shortened set didn’t go as poorly as it seemed on TV.
“They cut all of the laughter and most of my lines out, which made my act sound incoherent,” he said.
“While I am disappointed with the way my act was cut, I am thankful to AGT for the experience. The thing to keep in mind about any form of reality TV is: editing.”
Twenty more acts will perform next Tuesday, and another seven will move forward in the competition.