Howie Mandel has issued a rare public apology after his on-air meltdown over a birthday compliment went viral.
The America’s Got Talent host took to Instagram to address the incident, in which he had snapped at Live with Kelly and Mark co-hosts Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos after they told him he looked great following the revelation that he had just turned 70.
“I’ve been debating for 48 hours whether I should make this post or not, and I don’t know if I’m doing the right thing,” Mandel said in a video addressing the furor.
“Philosophically, I don’t believe that somebody who’s a comedian needs to apologize for a joke,” he continued. “It is a joke, it is meant as a joke, and it’s not meant to offend.” He noted it was his first public apology in more than 50 years in the business. “This is hard for me,” he admitted.
He then addressed Ripa directly, acknowledging she had been “incredibly supportive” of him over the years and that he had both appeared on and co-hosted her show. “When I go out there, I just try to be entertaining and funny,” he said.
“And sometimes as a comedian, things don’t land the way you mean them to land.” He added, “Not only do I want to say I’m sorry to Kelly but—and this is the hardest part—you’re right. You’re absolutely right, and I’m sorry I didn’t see it that way.”
He couldn’t resist ending on brand, however. “After a lot of thought and self-reflection, I… I look great for my age, I really do. I really… I look fantastic.”
The original incident unfolded when Consuelos told Mandel, “You just celebrated 70 years,” prompting Ripa to say it “doesn’t make any sense,” and Consuelos to add, “You look great.” Mandel promptly lost it.
“‘I look great’? That doesn’t mean anything to me,” he snapped, before launching into a dissection of backhanded compliments. “It’s like saying, ‘You’re smart, for a stupid person.’” The studio audience fell into stunned silence.
Consuelos, to his credit, admitted he had indeed meant it that way.
Mandel, who also hosts Deal or No Deal, concluded that he was “gorgeous.”
After moving past the awkward exchange, Mandel shared how he maintained his physique with help from fellow TV host Jerry O’Connell. “He’s got me into the most ridiculous workout I’ve ever done in my life. I swim, but this is what I do.”
Mandel continued: “He bought me these swimming cables. I have these cables which I tie on to my ankles, and then I attach them to whatever is at the side of the pool, and then he gave me these frying pan paddles, and I swim for an hour and go nowhere.”
“I got so lost in it, it’s really good.”
