Days after he had a tense on-air exchange with talk show host Kelly Ripa, Howie Mandel apologized for his actions.
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As previously reported, tension rose between the two when Ripa commented on the America’s Got Talent looks while congratulating him on turning 70.
“It doesn’t make any sense,” the Live! With Kelly and Mark, the host said, while pointing out that he was aging gracefully.
Mandel replied, “What do you mean, it doesn’t make any sense?”
Ripa’s co-host and husband, Mark Consuelos, chimed in,” You look great.”
However, Mandel seemingly made it known he wasn’t a fan of the remark. “That doesn’t mean anything,” he stated while pointing at the couple. “No, no, no. I don’t like that because that’s a caveat because you tell someone you’re 70, and they go, ‘you look great—’”
Ripa then said, “We’re not saying you look great for 70. No, we’re saying you look great, and I don’t believe you’re 70.”
Mandel took the tension even further by jokingly declaring, “It’s like saying, ‘You’re smart for a stupid person.’ ‘Oh, you look smart, you seem smart.’ You see, I don’t look good.”
In an Instagram post over the weekend, Mandel spoke out about his comments.
“I have been debating for 48 hours whether I should make this post or not,” he explained. And I don’t know if I’m doing the right thing, philosophically, I don’t believe that somebody … who’s a comedian needs to apologize for a joke. It is a joke. It is meant as a joke, and it’s not meant to offend.”
He then pointed out, “In all my years, 50 years in the business, I haven’t ever publicly kind of apologized for [a joke]. It’s hard for me.”
Mandel Praises Ripa For Being ‘Incredibly Supportive’ Over the Years
As he continued to speak about the tense moment, Mandel had nothing but praise for Ripa.
“But this is for Kelly Ripa, who, in the past, has been incredibly supportive,” he said. “Not only have I been a guest on her show, but I have co-hosted with her, and I’ve known her for years.”
He also shared, “When I go out there, I just try to be entertaining and funny, and sometimes, as a comedian, things don’t land the way you mean them to land.”
The comedian further stated, “And I don’t know how to say this, but 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.”
Mandel then said that after some thought and self-reflection, he does agree that he looks for his age. “I look fantastic, and I just have to embrace the fact that I look this good,” he added with a smile.