Howie Mandel decided to roast Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos after they gave him what he felt was a rather backhanded compliment.
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After Ripa congratulated the veteran comedian and Deal or No Deal legend on turning 70, she couldn’t help but marvel at how gracefully he’s aging, telling him, “it doesn’t make any sense.”
“What do you mean, it doesn’t make any sense?” Mandel shot back during the March 24 episode of Live With Kelly and Mark.
“You look great,” Consuelos insisted.
But the America’s Got Talent judge wasn’t exactly basking in the couple’s praise. “That doesn’t mean anything,” Mandel told the exasperated duo, pointing a finger. “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—’”
“We’re not saying you look great for 70,” a backpedaling Ripa offered.
“Yes, you are without saying ’70,’” Mandel fired back.
“No, we’re saying you look great, and I don’t believe you’re 70,” Ripa attempted to clarify.
“I am saying that,” Consuelos, seemingly getting defensive of his longtime wife, bluntly retorted.
Howie Mandel Doubles Down On a Bewildered Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos
However, the Bobby’s World star refused to back down, insisting the compliment was backhanded.
“It’s like saying, ‘You’re smart for a stupid person,’” he joked, seeming to regain his composure. “‘Oh, you look smart, you seem smart.’ You see, I don’t look good.”
“No, you do look good,” Consuelos said. “You look good,” he repeated.
Finally, the Little Monsters star let the beleaguered Ripa and Consuelos off the hook.
“Honestly, now I’ll be serious for a minute. I am gorgeous,” Mandel said with a grin.
Mandel then pivoted, giving fans a peek into his fitness routine. “I swim, but this is what I do,” he said, revealing his method for swimming in place using cables and resistance paddles. “I swim for an hour and go nowhere,” he explained, adding, “It’s really good.”
Here’s hoping Mandel, Ripa, and Consuelos laughed off the tense exchange once the cameras stopped rolling…