‘America’s Got Talent’ Magician Dustin Tavella Reunites Adopted Son with His Older Brother
Trae Patton/NBC Reading Time: 3 minutes
America’s Got Talent contestant Dustin Tavella is still on cloud nine from his audition that moved the entire world. The magician performed a routine dedicated to the day he and his wife, Kari, adopted their son Xander. After returning home from his successful audition, Dustin received some heartwarming news about reuniting Xander with his older brother.
‘America’s Got Talent’ Star Dustin Tavella Reflects on Emotional Audition About Adopting His Son
Dustin and Kari adopted Xander when he was just two months old. His emotional AGT audition paid tribute to the most magical day of his life. It was the day a judge officially declared he and Kari to be Xander’s parents. Dustin performed magic all of the time as a kid and recently got back into it.
“To find myself on stage on America’s Got Talent and to be talking about one of the most meaningful days of my life felt like a dream,” Dustin said. “First of all, I’m doing something that I loved as a kid, feeling like a child on the stage. Getting to tell the story and being there with my wife and son was absolutely incredible.”
Dustin’s audition highlights the importance of adoption and sharing adoption stories that can relate to other people. He said that adoption has “a negative connotation sometimes.” But, in his routine, he made sure to spotlight Xander’s biological mother who is an integral part of their story.
“This was not just one person,” Dustin continued. “This was me and my wife and their birth mother, and some other people in her life, and some people in our lives all coming together and thinking what is the best possible solution for Xander.”
An Unexpected Phone Call Led Dustin to Reunite Xander with His Biological Brother
Dustin and Kari want to “change the narrative on adoption” because it is a beautiful journey. They do not want Xander to grow up and think it is “something negative.” They want him to know “this was actually a good thing for him.” What Dustin told us next caused tears to well up in our eyes. After auditioning for America’s Got Talent, Dustin flew home and was processing everything that happened. An unexpected phone call brought him some amazing news.
“Xander actually has an older brother that was in the system for a while, he’s been passed around a bunch,” Dustin said. “We got a phone call asking if we’d be willing to unite the brothers. That was something that we had been hoping for and praying for a long time so literally, just two weeks ago, his older brother got here, so we’ve been hanging out with them.”
Dustin said the timing felt “so instant.” They are happy to see that two siblings that have been living two completely separate lives are now able to come together and bond.
What Will Dustin Do if He Wins $1 Million?
There is a huge chance that Dustin could win Season 16 of America’s Got Talent. His audition now has over 2.4 million views on YouTube. Winning the show comes with a massive $1 million prize. Dustin and his family hope to put it to good use.
“My wife and I have so many dreams and so many things we want to do to help people, to help other kids,” he said. “One of the first things we’d love to do is just get a huge house where we could adopt more kids and fill it up with kids who need rescuing. We have a heart for the homeless and we have a heart to disciple and mentor youth.”
Dustin hopes to use his magic act to create unity. It’s something he saw from a magician friend he once hung out with. After pulling out a deck of cards, he noticed that a diverse crowd gathered around the magician to watch the spectacle.
“I see the power that magic has to be able to tell stories, to bring people together,” he said. “It’s so not demographic-specific. To be able to go into a kindergarten classroom to an old age home and everywhere in between is the coolest thing in the world.”
So magic wins!!!!