AGT judge Howie Mandel is famous for his humor, but the most important thing in life is his family. He’s been married to his high school sweetheart, Terry, since 1980. The couple shares three children, Jackelyn, Alex, and Riley. Things got serious for the funnyman when one family member suffered a health crisis. What’s going on?
AGT Judge Howie Mandel Breaks Silence About Family Member’s Health Crisis
Howie Mandel entertained moviegoers throughout the 1980s by starring in movies like Little Monsters and voicing Gizmo in the iconic Gremlins movies. The comedian still does movies, but also has a lucrative side gig as a judge on America’s Got Talent. He also co-hosts the Howie Mandel Does Stuff podcast with his daughter, Jackelyn Schulz.
The father-daughter duo were guests on another podcast this week and revealed a family member’s hidden health crisis. They shared the news on In Depth with Graham Bensinger that Jackelyn’s son, Axel, has privately been battling leukemia for the last few years.
Jackelyn broke down in tears during the discussion and left it up to her father to share the story. The AGT judge revealed that his grandson is in remission now, but it was a tough battle to get there.
Howie Mandel shared that the boy was diagnosed with cancer after a trip to Hawaii. They rushed the boy to the ER, thinking he had the flu. Instead, he was having his first round of chemotherapy the very next day.
“He had to have a bone marrow transplant from his sister,” Howie Mandel revealed. The actor said that his grandson is doing better now, but is still struggling with the disease.
“He doesn’t have an immune system, so he can’t go to school. He’s doing well. His leukemia is in remission. We’re just trying to build up his immune system,” the AGT judge said.
His Daughter Shares Heartbreaking Reason Why She Kept It Secret
Howie Mandel’s daughter revealed that she was bullied online when she wore a mask while filming episodes of their podcast. ”I got such hate and vitriol. [People] thought it was because I didn’t agree with their politics or whatever. In my mind, I’m like, ‘They have no idea what I’m going through right now. They have no idea that I’m just trying to be able to go visit my son in the hospital,’” she said.
The online hate is why the family waited so long to speak out about Axel’s cancer diagnosis. “[I feared] that there would be people that would find a reason to hate on it or find a reason to justify why I’m going through this. I don’t need the negativity in my life, especially when it’s surrounding that issue,” she candidly admitted.
Howie Mandel’s grandson is in remission but is still struggling with the aftereffects of the bone marrow transplant.
Jennifer Havener grew up in a small town in Upstate New York. She earned her B.A in Writing & Literature from Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado. She always knew watching reality TV shows and soap operas, particularly ‘Days of Our Lives’, would come in handy someday. When she’s not writing, she’s playing with her dogs, Lola and Ruger
