ABILITY Magazine Interview: Howie Mandel

Well I don't remember a time that

I didn't feel it was an issue but

I, it wasn't diagnosed until adulthood.

(Mmhmm).

You know, we take care of our dental health.

We don't take care of our mental health.

People go get their teeth checked.

(And it rhymes too).

It does. That's why I say it.

And when I was growing up. You know.

I mean I'm in my mid-50s.

Even ADHD was not an issue in school.

I mean nobody talked about it.

Seems prevalent now.

But I would imagine there's
just as many kids now

That have it as had it when I was a kid.

It just wasn't identified
when I was a kid.

So I was troubled.

And I was outrageous you know?

I wasn't. I wasn't just the kid

The class clown that had, you know,

a funny quip from the back of the class.

I mean, I was outrageous.

I would, you know.
(right).

I'd call the yellow pages and

hired companies to bid on an

addition to the library.

So there would be uh people.

There would be people outside measuring

and the principal would go outside

and say, "What are you doing?"

and they'd say "We're from so-and-so
construction company and we're gonna"

"bid on the addition".

And he'd say, "Who authorized the addition?"

And they would say, "Howie Mandel"

I gave them my name.

(Laughter)

Yeah.

The only way I could talk to girls

is I would go into the girl's restroom

cause I didn't look like a boy.

And brush my hair in the mirror.

And talk to girls who came in.
(Did you really?)

Yeah.

(You must be joking).

(Laughter).

No I'm not.

That's where my wife met me.

I didn't finish.
I didn't finish high school.

I don't have a GED.

Can I still be in ABILITY?

(Yes. Laughter).

(What about your wife?)

She is not in school anymore.

(Laughter).

(She's off to a cabin?)

She is. We've been together over 30 years.

We celebrated our 31st anniversary.

When we got married I was doing
stand-up comedy.

The next night I was playing Yuk Yuk's.

So I uh, invited her on the stage.

She sat in a stool on the stage

and I was doing stand-up.

Cause that's how I got my tickets. That's how,

They flew me back up there
cause I got a gig.

And that's how I afforded to go to

my own wedding.

And then she. The next night
Terry was sitting.

And I said, you know, regardless
of how the show goes.

I just want to welcome everybody
to my honeymoon.

(Laughter).

This is it.

So that was our honeymoon.

We didn't go anywhere.

She just sat on stage.

at the comedy club in Toronto.

(wow).

For three, four nights straight.

(electronic music)

I, I masked it for many, many, many years.

Where I'd, you know,

and I shook hands.

You see me shaking hands in old videos.

And my uhm, you know,
even right up to my talk show.

I'd shake everybody's hands.

So I was living, you know,

and I hid a lot of it.

You know, I didn't, she was not in the,

in the, in the bathroom with me

while I'm scalding my hands, and so,

so I didn't really let her in on that, but

she knew that I was, like, obsessed,

with, you know, washing my hands.

(mmhm).

Also, I could also,

I could also cover it with logic, you know?

(mmhm).

Let's make a path of
this hotel room with towels

Cause you don't know when, what's

dripped all over this carpet.

So she would walk along my path.

(Laughter).

Let's take the comforter off the bed

with the salad tongs,

Cause you don't know what's on the

(I agree) (Laughter)

you know, and she thought I was like a,

I think the blacklight bothered her.

(Laughter)

I went and spoke up in Capitol Hill.

and uhh. I tried to, that's where I lend

my time and uh that's what I support.

and I uh, I mean,

mostly it's just about trying to

remove the stigma. Because I think there's

a lot of help out there and I think a lot

of people could use the help and uh

and as I said before, you know,

my whole thing is that, I don't think

there's anybody alive that

could not benefit from

a professional mental health person

you know, being a part of their lives.

You know. And I would imagine there still is

a stigma attached to that. But I, you know,

I didn't really take care of that.

But now I'm taking care of it.

Look at me. (Laughs).

I'm in ABILITY magazine.

(Laughter).

(electronic music)