The comedian and actor Alex Hooper is one of those people one could never forget after seeing on stage. He rose to stardom by appearing in “America’s Got Talent” in its 13th and 15th seasons, where he roasted the show’s judges while leaving the audiences open-mouthed.
Though Alex’s path in the show was short-lived, he used the opportunity to take his comedy performances to another level, conquering audiences around the US and the world by appearing on live shows and in several TV series, and other projects.
Nevertheless, behind the image of a comedian, there’s a hard-working man who’s gone through many challenges in life, including a recent cancer diagnosis.
So what’s Alex doing now? How is he doing these days and what are his next projects? Is he planning a return to “America’s Got Talent”? Keep watching to find out!
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What’s Alex Up To Now?
It’s been a while since we last saw Alex Hooper in “America’s Got Talent”. His 15th season appearances were by far his most memorable, not only because he got the farthest in the competition but also because it’s rare for contestants to be called to join the show again, especially one that didn’t go too far into it the first time.
While that proves that Alex’s appearances in the show were memorable, he used his TV fame to explore exciting career possibilities. For starters, his social media saw a big growth over the years and so did his acting credits, with him voicing several characters in animated series as well as appearing in series such as “National Day Riff”.
On top of that, Alex also started “CRAVE”, an immersive comedy and music experience which is described on his website as the ‘weirdest and wildest stand-up comedy’ show in Los Angeles.
BYE BYE STAGE 3 HODGKINS LYMPHOMA. THANKS FOR BEING HERE. NOW FUCK OFF SO I CAN CONTINUE SPREADING LOVE. pic.twitter.com/SQezRFSdJr
— Alex Hooper (@HooperHairPuff) March 24, 2023
While Alex’s career has been growing for the better, he faced a big personal challenge when he was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma at Stage Three in mid-2022, just a couple of months after tying the knot with his then long-time girlfriend Lauren Tassi. Fortunately, he recovered well from cancer, but there’s no doubt that the situation was hard to deal with.
Luckily for all of us, Alex keeps his Instagram account and website up to date with the latest about his career and life.
Alex’s Cancer Journey
Alex Hooper was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma in August 2022, just a couple of months after noticing that his lymph nodes were growing unusally. As Alex opened up in a YouTube video, he initially went through a tough period of testing what normality in his nodes was about, before finally being a diagnosis by the end of August. Up to that point, it was still unclear what stage his cancer was at, but he finally got the news some weeks later that it was Stage Three.
As he revealed during one of his comedy sketches for Comedy Central, Alex’s doctors suspected that his disease was between stages four and three, with the former being the worst. While it was still grim news to be told that he had cancer, Stage Three considerably increased Alex’s chances of recovery.
Besides a huge wave of support from fans and even from “America’s Got Talent”’s Simon Cowell following his diagnosis announcement, a funding campaign set up by Alex’s brother-in-law collected over $40,000 to help the comedian deal with the side-financial costs which his diagnosis entailed, such as not being able to perform outside of California for the duration of his chemotherapy.
Recovery & Aftermath
There’s no doubt that it was a tough period for Alex to deal with, including the complex treatment which followed. Nonetheless, he found refuge in his art throughout that difficult process.
As the Los Angeles Times reported in November 2022, Alex turned ‘cancer into a punchline’, as he made his difficult health situation a common topic in his comedy routines. The reason for this was explained by Alex to the journal, admitting that seeing the audience erupt in laughter after hearing him making a chemotherapy joke made him feel that the cancer cells inside his body were ‘disintegrating’.
While it would be unlikely for most people to turn such a worrisome situation into a joke, that’s not the case at all for Alex. As he revealed in the video in which he announced his diagnosis, Alex had a hard time holding up from revealing the news of his cancer not only to close family and friends, but also to those attending his shows, faking all along that everything was alright with him when in reality it certainly was not.
Luckily, Alex came through his treatment successfully, officially becoming cancer-free in April 2023. The next time he went on stage to make jokes about chemotherapy, these were accompanied by a joyful note about his recovery.
What Happened To Alex in “AGT”?
It’s not easy to make it to “America’s Got Talent”, but not only did Alex Hooper do that to the grand TV stage, but left such a good impression that it was hard for people to forget about him.
The first time we saw Alex on the show’s stage in the 13th season, he was wearing a red fur leotard combined with blue latex tights. The eccentricity of Alex’s outfit fitedt well with his hairstyle and the roasting content he delivered on the show’s stage, regardless of it not being well-taken by everybody there.
In the end, Alex didn’t make it any further into the competition, but walked home with the satisfaction of having gained Simon Cowell’s approval, while the rest of the judges were apparently just too appalled to say ‘yes’.
Two seasons later, Alex was back at “America’s Got Talent”, and this time for the better. He apologized for his previous roast of the judges, but didn’t hold back from doing it again, getting to the Quarter-finals before being eliminated again.
While his two chances at “America’s Got Talent” didn’t take Alex very far into the show, the positive side of it all was to gain more recognition as a comedian in his everyday life, despite having a normal job as a ticket seller at the time. That popularity has only grown over time, as his followers came to know Alex Hooper not only for his jokes but also for his resilience and creativity. Long may he continue to make audiences laugh!
