Real-Life Loves
Who Is ‘AGT’ Star Jessica Sanchez’s Husband? Her Marriage to Rickie Gallardo
Jessica Sanchez is officially a finalist on Season 20 of America’s Got Talent, and she’s had her husband, Rickie Gallardo, by her side throughout her latest journey on the show.
The singer, who previously competed on AGT Season 1 and was a runner-up on American Idol, is in a new chapter of her life this time around. Not only did she step away from music for a few years to find herself, but she’s also been pregnant with her first child throughout the competition.
Ahead of next week’s finale, scroll down for everything we know about Jessica’s marriage, her husband, and more.
Who is Rickie Gallardo?
Rickie is Jessica’s husband. For the most part, Rickie is a very private person, but he works as a lighting technician, which is how he and Jessica met (more on that below).
While Rickie does not post on Instagram often, some of his recent posts include one of his favorite hobbies (fishing), as well as several references to his faith. “Jesus,” he captioned one post of himself and Jessica outside of a church.
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Jessica said that Rickie has been her “biggest rock” as she makes her music comeback. “He was there with me throughout the whole thing and coming back stronger, knowing who I am,” she told Swooon. “He has been pushing me, too, and helping me challenge myself and giving me all of the affirmations I need to keep going.”
How did Jessica Sanchez and her husband meet?
Jessica and Rickie met back in 2017 when she was performing at a church. It wasn’t a church event, she told FYE Channel in 2023, but the church was the venue for one of her concerts.
“Rickie used to do lights at the church, so when I was singing on stage during my concert, during my show and everything, I guess one of his friends told him, like, ‘Bro, you gotta come back to the church, do some lights, because this girl can sing,’ this and that,” the singer shared.
After Rickie checked out the performance, he sent a video to Jessica on Instagram “of him and me in the background on stage, [and he said], ‘I’m gonna marry you one day,’ and all this stuff,” she added.
While Jessica said she normally “never, ever, ever responds” to a random person on Instagram, “I guess something in me just told me to go for it,” she continued. “We hung out every day for a month and then we started dating.”
The pair took things to the next level when they secretly got married in 2021. Jessica told Push that the wedding was “very small,” and that she and Rickie planned it in just a couple of days because their pastor was in town. “I loved our little wedding, but, I mean, it was really small,” she said. “Not much of his family was there and my family wasn’t there because it was so last minute.”
Does Jessica Sanchez have kids?
Jessica and Rickie are about to be parents for the first time. She found out she was pregnant with their daughter just days after she auditioned for America’s Got Talent. Ahead of her Semifinals performance on the show, she revealed she had entered her ninth month of pregnancy.
“[Finding out I was pregnant] didn’t really hinder me from wanting to take that next step back on that stage,” the rising star told TV Insider. “If anything, it kind of motivated me a little bit because I’m like, now I get to do this with my daughter. It’s like a once-in-a-lifetime thing.”
America’s Got Talent, Season 20 Finale, Part 1, Tuesday, September 23, 9/8c, NBC
America’s Got Talent, Season 20 Finale, Part 2, Wednesday, September 24, 9/8c, NBC
