America's Got Talent announced its Season 13 winner on Wednesday (September 19) and a day later, one of the finalists is making headlines. This time, it is not related to a performance on the show, rather what occurred after the season has come to an end that is making the news. On Thursday, aspiring singer Michael Ketterer, who finished fifth overall in the reality television competition, was arrested and charged with domestic violence in Hollywood.
The next day, Michael Ketterer was released in the early morning hours of Friday after posting bail, which was set at $50,000. The arrest happened at 3:45 p.m. after authorities responded to a call at the hotel, Ketterer and his family were staying at. After arriving at the scene, officers noticed a "visible red mark" on Ketterer's wife and subsequently arrested Ketterer for felony domestic violence.
The America's Got Talent finalist confirmed to TMZ that he and his wife did get into an argument in their hotel room when the police were called. Michael Ketterer also maintained his arrest was a "misunderstanding." He added that the arrest occurred despite his wife telling law enforcement she did not want to press charges against him.
The site also reports that their sources within law enforcement expect the case to be downgraded to a misdemeanor, given the degree of injury to Michael Ketterer's wife being minimal. One of Ketterer's upcoming appearances is a performance at country music superstar, Garth Brooks' concert at Notre Dame Stadium. The invitation to perform there was extended by Brooks, per EW.
That concert is still more than a month away. It is scheduled to take place on October 20. Michael Ketterer performed "The Courage to Love" a song written by Garth Brooks at Simon Cowell's behest during his run on the NBC talent show. A pediatric mental health nurse and father of six, Ketterer's America's Got Talent story began with Simon Cowell pressing the Golden Buzzer following Ketterer's audition. During the first half of the finale, Ketterer performed "Ain't No Mountain High Enough."
In the end, Michael Ketterer finished his America's Got Talent run by placing in fifth. Mesmeric magician Shin Lim won the competition. The runner-ups included acrobatic group Zurcaroh, violinist Brian King Joseph in third place, and stand-up comedian Samuel J. Comroe in fourth, with Ketterer rounding out the top 5. Ketterer's fifth-place finish put him coming out ahead of teen singer, Courtney Hadwin.
A crowd favorite, Michael Ketterer's fifth-place finish was not well-received by the live audience. America's Got Talent will return for a fourteenth season. In the meantime, a slew of series will be making their returns as well as premiering this fall on NBC and other networks.
