Howie Mandel has kept audiences in stitches for decades with his humor. The comedian, who voiced Gizmo in Gremlins, now looks for the next big star on America’s Got Talent. But things took a serious turn when he opened up about his near-death experience that was no laughing matter. Keep reading for all the details.
Howie Mandel Opens Up About Scary Near-Death Experience
Simon Cowell recently took a leave of absence from AGT while recovering from surgery. Howie Mandel has been a judge on the NBC reality competition since 2010. He previously hosted the network’s Deal or No Deal. The actor recently opened up about a scary experience that left him near death.
The 2019 global pandemic cost millions of people their lives. But it also left a toll on our mental health. Howie Mandel has openly battled with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), often describing himself as a germaphobe. As someone who already struggled with anxiety, the COVID pandemic made it much worse.
Howie Mandel opened up to Hoda Kotb about the dangerous way he dealt with his anxiety during the pandemic. “During the pandemic I couldn’t sleep because part of my rumination is — I make fun of it — but I’m a germaphobe, and a pandemic? I live like I’m in a pandemic anyhow. And when there’s a real one, it was hard for me to handle,” he admitted on the former Today host’s Joy 101 podcast.
Howie Mandel continued, “It was hard for a lot of people, but I wasn’t strong enough to handle it. I couldn’t sleep, so I started taking gummies to go to sleep.”
In addition to gummies, the comedian drank and smoked because he was “trying to escape and make myself unconscious.” Mixing the medication with alcohol had near-fatal consequences.
“There were times when my wife, she couldn’t wake me up or she thought she was going to take me to the hospital,” he said. In fact, his wife threatened to leave him if he didn’t seek help.
AGT Host Reveals He’s Sober Now, Credits Wife
Howie Mandel has been married to his wife, Terry, for over 40 years. The high school sweethearts tied the knot in 1980. But their marriage was on the brink of divorce at the height of the pandemic. She insisted that her husband go to therapy to deal with his mental health issues.
The America’s Got Talent judge revealed that he’s sober now. “There’s no middle ground with me. I don’t smoke or I haven’t had a beer, or anything. I can’t do anything in moderation. It wasn’t healthy and it wasn’t good. It’s not an excuse, but it was really bad,” he told Hoda Kotb.
He gave up alcohol, but he revealed that he’s still “medicated” under a doctor’s care. “So, I’m medicated. I’m surrounded by professionals,” he said.
Howie Mandel has his wife to thank for surviving the pandemic. Does it surprise you that he suffered so much during the lockdowns?
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
