It was an emotional evening on “America’s Got Talent” last night as judge Sofia Vergara broke down in tears while recalling that her brother was murdered back in 1998.

Fox News reported that Vergara became emotional after contestant Brandon Leake performed a powerful spoken word about his younger sister Danielle Marie Gibson, who passed away back in 1997 at only 8 months-old.

“Tonight’s poem is actually an ode to my sister,” said Leake, 27. “She’s here with me now,”

At one point in the spoken word, Leake said, “If this pain and these memories are all that I got left of you, I won’t never regret these scars from just trying to hold onto you.”

Vergara could not help but tear up as she lavished praise on Leake, telling him how “beautiful” his poem was.

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“My brother passed away the same year that your sister passed away. I can feel your pain,” the “Modern Family” actress said.

“I know what this is. I know what it is to have somebody taken from you without you knowing.”

Vergara’s older brother Rafael was murdered during an attempted kidnapping in Colombia back in 1998 when he was only 27 years-old.

Leake was sent straight through to the finals when judge Howie Mandel hit the coveted golden buzzer for him.

“America’s Got Talent” has been filming without an audience due to the coronavirus pandemic, which made this moment between Leake and the judges even more intimate for them. Judge Simon Cowell told Deadline that there was a “real buzz of excitement” to be back on set with everyone involved with the show.

“I could see the relief on the crews faces that they were back at work and then we turned around the corner to the set we’d built and it was honestly one of the most amazing  experiences I can remember for a long time,” he said.

Cowell went on to add that they are taking precautions when it comes to COVID-19.

“If we thought anyone was at risk, we wouldn’t film,” Cowell explained.

“So as long as you know that people are safe, fortunately everyone who was on the lot was tested, will be tested and are continually tested. Once you know you’ve got that part and it works then the second part is putting on the show. You learn very, very quickly to adapt and the show will feel different but hopefully people will still enjoy watching a new version of the show with the principals of the show still intact.”

This piece originally appeared in UpliftingToday.com and is used by permission.

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