America's Got Talent premiered on NBC in 2006 as a televised talent competition where judges vote on singers, dancers and variety acts. Each judge has a large red buzzer, and pressing it lights a red X above the stage to show disapproval, with all buzzers ending a performance. Clips from the show spread widely on television and social media, and the short buzz became a reusable shorthand for rejection. It remains popular because audiences instantly link its harsh tone and the glowing X with a verdict delivered in public.