Bill Maher and America’s Got Talent host Howie Mandel are not the same, Mandel told Maher to his face.
Mandel, 70, appeared on Maher’s Club Random podcast, where Maher, also 70, told the apolitical media personality that he should have “the freedom to say whatever the f--- you want at 70,” since he was “set for life.” In addition to being a fixture on the long-running TV talent show, Mandel also hosted the Deal or No Deal franchise from 2005 to 2019.
Maher said all the money Mandel has made should loosen his lips. “I guess my point is like even if they all canceled you tomorrow, you’re not going to be driving an Uber,” Maher said.
Mandel countered, “Here’s where you and I are different…I really am concerned with how I affect others.”
Maher is known for his contrarian viewpoints and off-color jokes. In 2017, he apologized after using a racial slur on air during Real Time with Bill Maher. Despite his continued rise after the incident, he regularly rails against “cancel culture.”
Maher told Mandel that he resents his comparison. “That’s kind of offensive to me,” he told Mandel. “You’re saying, ‘We’re different. I care about others.’”
Mandel clarified, “You don’t care—if you are right—you don’t care if you have offended somebody.”
Accepting the flattery, Maher agreed, “It’s not my aim, but [causing offense] doesn’t supersede being honest.”
Mandel said that’s not the case for him, “For me, if somebody says they were incredibly offended, their kids were watching, and they don’t want me to represent their product anymore—it’s not about the money or losing the account. It’s more about losing their respect for me or trust in me.”
The TV host had one such loss occur after he repeated an X-rated stand-up bit while hosting his Howie Mandel Does Stuff podcast with his daughter Jackelyn Shutlz, 41.
“I lost a fortune in a campaign,” Mandel revealed. “I’m not going to mention the company or anything. They walked away from me.”
Maher insisted the anecdote proves “cancel culture is not dead.” He continued, grilling Mandel, “Why do you worry about these people if they can’t take a joke? They’re not your kind of people.”
Mandel answered, “But they don’t know it’s a joke. I need to get to everyone and tell them it’s a joke,” he said, driving home his point that he and Maher view their impacts very differently. “My feeling inside is I’ve let somebody down, or I’ve given them an impression that is not true—is so far from who I am.”
