‘America’s Got Talent: Extreme’ Contestant Sues NBC After Stunt Left Him Paralyzed

NBC‘s America’s Got Talent has been hit with a lawsuit filed by Jonathan Harvey, a former contestant, stuntman and escapologist, who performs under the name Jonathan Goodwin.

A stunt on the shortlived spinoff series America’s Got Talent: Extreme went horribly wrong, and now Goodwin is paralyzed from the waist down, according to the lawsuit, which names NBCUniversal, Syco Entertainment, Freemantle Media North America and others as defendants.

Goodwin alleges that the defendants “were negligent and failed to implement industry safety standards,” leading to injuries that are noted in the lawsuit as being “catastrophic” and “life-altering.”

The stuntman was known for his extensive involvement with the AGT franchise, including appearing on Britain’s Got Talent, which he described in the lawsuit as a “professional and respectful” experience. However, his later encounters with America’s Got Talent were less pleasant, he claims.

Despite these experiences, he decided to participate when the show announced an Extreme edition that appeared tailor-made for his skills. The lawsuit highlights various claims, including allegations that the series producers had offered to match his payment for performing the daring “Cradle Of Death” stunt—a feat involving being suspended upside down, in mid-air, within a straitjacket, while two cars swung menacingly towards him. Regrettably, the suit contends that these promised payments were never fulfilled.

Goodwin’s legal action paints a decidedly negative picture of anyone associated with the production of AGT: Extreme, from the stunt coordinator (named as a co-defendant) and beyond. It alleges that the show, shot on the expansive 850-acre campus of the Atlanta Motor Speedway in Georgia, was marked by chaos and mismanagement.

Furthermore, he claims that the series producers pressured him to compromise the safety of his stunt, including rushing through safety checks and inadequate equipment and preparation for the stunt’s execution. Additionally, Goodwin sustained injuries from pyrotechnic elements during the stunt, but the situation took a grave turn when he fell 40 feet, landing on his head. According to the lawsuit, this catastrophic mishap resulted in burns, the loss of his left kidney, and a dislocated spine, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down.

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Goodwin’s fiancée, Sherlock actress Amanda Abbington, gave an update on his condition last year and opened up about the accident on the Out to Lunch podcast with Jay Rayner.

“He fell 30 feet and lost a kidney, broke both shoulder blades, shattered both legs,” she revealed in May 2022. “Third-degree burns, broke his spine, and severed his spinal cord and nearly died. And then on the operating table, he nearly died again.”

 

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Abbington added that Goodwin is “paralyzed now” and “in a wheelchair” and is unlikely to ever fully recover. “Unless there’s a kind of stem cell surgery or that thing that Elon Musk is designing with the little chip, he’ll be like that forever.”

On Tuesday, Goodwin shared a photo on Instagram of himself in his wheelchair, which you can view above, referring to himself as a “roll model.” Posing with his dog, Goodwin captioned the picture, “A lot has changed in the last 6 months, but love is a constant and I’m very very loved.”