Did your favorite bald judge literally cheat death? Because apparently, Howie Mandel is ready to spill ALL the tea about his pandemic nightmare, and honey, it’s NOT pretty.
The America’s Got Talent guru—who’s been making us laugh for decades—just dropped a truth bomb on Hoda Kotb’s “Joy 101” podcast that has us absolutely SHOOK. At 70 years young, Mandel admitted he “almost died” after taking matters into his own hands during COVID and self-medicating like he was running his own underground pharmacy. Yikes on bikes.
“I’m medicated and I have a lot of therapy,” the comedy icon confessed on the Monday, August 24 episode, getting real about his mental health struggles. But here’s where it gets juicy—the legendary showman revealed he has such a CRIPPLING fear of hitting those emotional lows that he nearly lost his life trying to avoid them. Talk about a cry for help wrapped in a comedic package.
Let’s be real: Howie has never shied away from discussing his OCD and ADHD battles. But this? This is next-level vulnerability, folks. The man who’s spent his entire career saying “yes” and “no” to talented performers across the globe was literally playing Russian roulette with his own health because he couldn’t bear the thought of depression’s ugly face returning. The pain was apparently SO intense that he’d rather risk everything than feel it again. Major yikes energy.
Fans are absolutely LOSING IT on social media right now. Some are praising his bravery for opening up about mental health, while others are expressing genuine concern for the entertainment legend. “Howie, we love you too much for this!” one concerned fan tweeted, while another wrote, “So glad he’s here to tell the story.”
The good news? Our boy Howie is clearly doing the work now—therapy, proper medication, and all the professional support a former germaphobe-turned-talk-show-judge could need. He’s literally living his best life judging talent and sharing his struggles to help others. That’s the Howie we know and love.
This is what happens when you bottle things up, babes. Mental health is REAL, medication is nothing to be ashamed of, and therapy is literally a luxury everyone deserves. Howie just proved that even the funniest people among us are fighting invisible battles.
What do you think? A) Howie should write a tell-all memoir about his pandemic experience B) Howie should take a break from AGT to focus on his mental health recovery