Last week, Howie Mandel made headlines for an exchange he had with Kelly Ripa and Mark Conseuelos on Live with Kelly and Mark. Mark and Kelly brought up that he’d just turned 70 and mentioned that he looked great. Howie refused to take the compliment and insisted that, because they tied it in with his age, it was no different than saying, “You’re smart for a stupid person.” He eventually stopped protesting and admitted that he knows he looks good. Everyone laughed and the conversation moved on, but it became a thing anyway. It must have been bothering Howie because he recorded an Instagram video explaining that he was just joking around. He also apologized to Kelly for not accepting her compliments right away.
“I have 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, philosophically,” Mandel began in his video.
“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 … 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,” he continued.
“But this is for Kelly Ripa, who, in the past, has been incredibly supportive. Not only have I been a guest on her show, but I have co-hosted with her, and I’ve known her for years … 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,” he added.
He continued, “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.”
“But after a lot of thought and self-reflection, I do look great for my age! I really do … I look fantastic, and I just have to embrace the fact that I look this good,” the comedian said with a smile.
During the initial exchange, Ripa, 55, attempted to clarify her comments, insisting that she and her husband and co-host, Mark Consuelos, 54, genuinely only meant to compliment the comedian.
“We’re not saying you look great for 70. We’re saying you look great — and I don’t believe you’re 70,” Ripa said.
I watched the clip and although I didn’t think Howie was joking, it came across as lighthearted. He clearly did not expect it to blow up the way it did. I don’t think he really had anything to apologize for in terms of what he said. To me, the apology comes across as Howie feeling badly that he potentially embarrassed someone he considers to be a friend and colleague. Honestly, the whole thing probably would have blown over and been forgotten about by this point if he hadn’t brought it back into the news by posting the video. My only question is why Howie only addressed Kelly in his apology and not Mark, who started the whole exchange.
Kelly and Mark were obviously just trying to be nice, though. Yes, Howie could have just accepted the compliment but he didn’t point out something untrue. Some people consider being told that they look nice “for their age” is the same thing as saying, “That dress is so slimming on you!” It seems as though everything is smoothed over now, though. Live’s longtime EP Michael Gelman (whose name I will forever read in Regis Philbin’s voice) joked in the comments that Howie did look good “…for his age” and a bunch of other celebrities joined in to make similar jokes about Howie’s appearance.
Photos via Instagram and YouTube
Kelly’s face looked sort of serious so maybe that’s why people didn’t know he was joking.
I don’t have an opinion on whether he needed to issue an apology, but I assumed from her facial expression that maybe even she felt she said the wrong thing. It was her seriousness where she looked like she might have felt she said the wrong thing that threw me off, but others might have a different interpretation. My interpretation of her facial expression could be incorrect.
I didn’t hear him make a joke. All I heard was loud and combative. He should be nicer to Kelly who meant no harm. He toned it down when Marc jumped in.