Howie Mandel took to social media to mend fences with Kelly Ripa after a tense interview moment in which he ignored her compliments about his appearance. After some thought about whether to respond to his impromptu joke, Mandel eventually embraced the wisdom of Ripa’s remark and acknowledged his youthful charm in an Instagram post.
Howie Mandel has publicly apologized to Kelly Ripa after a tense on-air exchange during a recent interview. In this awkward exchange, Mandel refused to accept a compliment from Reba about his appearance.
Mandel has now shared an apology on social media.
Howie Mandel says he’s never apologized for a joke
On a recent episode of “Live with Kelly and Mark,” Mandel insisted that telling someone his age he “looks great” doesn’t “mean anything,” because it comes with the “warning” that he looks good for his age.Mandel (70 years old) apologized on Instagram, saying that this is the first time he has ever apologized for a joke during the fifty years he has spent in this field.
Howie Mandel says he’s been debating whether or not to apologize
Mandel began his video saying he was “debating for 48 hours” whether or not to make the post.
He continues: “And I don’t know if I’m doing the right thing, philosophically. I don’t think that someone… who’s a comedian needs to apologize for a joke. It’s a joke. It’s meant to be a joke, it’s not meant to be offensive… In all my years, 50 years in the business, I’ve never publicly apologized for it.” [a joke]. He continued: “It is difficult for me.”
Howie Mandel apologizes to Kelly Ripa
Mandel began his apology by noting, “This is for Kelly Ripa, who in the past has been incredibly supportive.”
He continued: “And I don’t know how to say this, but I don’t just 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 introspection, I look great for my age! I really do… I look great, and I just have to accept the fact that I look this good,” the comedian said with a smile.Ripa, 55, on the other hand, attempted to clarify her comments during the show, insisting that she and her husband and co-host, Mark Consuelos, 54, only meant to compliment the comedian.