Magician moves AGT judges to tears with performance that puts the spotlight on mental health

Trigger warning: This article contains themes of suicide and mental health issues that some readers may find distressing.

Michael Webb, a full-time magician with over 15 years of experience, brought a bit of magic to the world in a truly one-of-a-kind way. While appearing on Australia’s Got Talent, he wowed the crowd with a unique card trick. Indeed, the judges have seen countless card tricks through auditions over the years, but this one truly stood out for its emotionally charged backstory. Webb shared the tale of a 28-year-old called "Jack" who battled mental health issues and chose to speak out and get professional help.

Michael, also known as "Magic Mike" (not a stripper), has made a name for himself at birthday parties, weddings and corporate functions across Canberra, reported Riotact. But one day, he decided to go on the famous reality show to share his message beyond magic with the world. The magician brought the judges to tears by the end of his performance.

It started off as a typical magic card trick routine where he asked Judge Alesha Dixon to shuffle a deck of cards before instructing fellow judge Shane Jacobson to choose any card, sign his name on it and show it to everyone but Webb. Once he did so, Webb shuffled it into the deck. He then pulled a jack card from the deck. People expected Webb to share some tricks, but he did way more than that. He shared a story with a deep message.

“He’s got a loving family and plenty of mates. And they think he’s kind of funny, they always think of him as a bit of a joker,” he said, pulling out a joker card. “When he’s out on the town with his mates, they really get around him. They call him the king,” he continued, drawing a king card. “Which is kind of ironic because whenever the night ends up at the karaoke bar, he’s always the one singing Queen.”

“But even on the most joyous of occasions, like Christmas, or even his birthday, he would often look around at the full house of family and friends having such a good time, and he’d stop and think, what’s wrong with me? Like, why can’t I have fun? The more he thought about this, the worse he felt, and the worse he felt, the more guilty he felt. And all of a sudden, he’d have shame and become flushed with emotion. So what would Jack do? He’d find a nice quiet room in the house and cry. You see, Jack was a 28-year-old man and in his mind, 28-year-old males – they need to be strong and they don’t talk about their feelings," Webb shared.

The audience and the judges began to feel the heaviness of his words as he stated that 3318 Australians died by suicide a year. “That’s 63 people every single week and, for every person that did, another 20 attempted to,” he said. “So do you know what Jack decided to do? Jack decided to share his story on Australia’s Got Talent, and by sharing this story today, I hope I can make just at least one person get their head straight.”

The judges got emotional as they were impacted by Webb's message. "I want all Australians genuinely who are struggling with their mental health to remember that without the rain, there can be no rainbow. So I want all Australians to shine bright like a diamond,” he said, pulling out the ace of diamonds card Jacobson had signed earlier. What a performance, indeed!

Everyone can take home Webb's powerful message about how it is okay to ask for help and how one should never feel alone in the battle against mental illness.