Sofia Vergara was lying on the table when Howie Mandel did one thing only a germaphobe would do
It appears that Howie Mandel is pretty uncomfortable with handshakes! In August 2023, the 'America's Got Talent' panelist took to his Instagram page and joked about his aversion to shaking hands. At that point, Mandel posted a picture of himself holding his fellow judge Sofia Vergara's ankles while she playfully gasped while lying on the judges' table. "I'll do anything to not shake hands," Mandel wrote in the caption of the Instagram post. As per Entertainment Weekly, Vergara stopped by the comments section of the post and wrote, "This is too good." Around the same time, Vergara also posted the same picture on her Instagram page. "We're almost live!" Vergara captioned the post.
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In 2022, Mandel shared how his germaphobia took a toll on his mental health during the coronavirus pandemic after he got infected by the virus at the 2022 Kids' Choice Awards. While having a conversation with TMZ, Mandel recalled, "I got locked away for 10 days. I'm vaxxed, and I'm boosted, so my symptoms weren't terrible. But... the mental pain of me being locked in a room for 10 days, not going near anybody... I went insane."
Then, Mandel further elaborated, “I still feel like I’m recovering from that, the insanity. And I’m not joking. I got incredibly depressed and incredibly neurotic. You can’t distract yourself for 10 days alone in a room.” During a Zoom call interview with Jimmy Kimmel that saw the light of day during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in May 2020, the talk show host introduced Mandel as “Mr. Purell,” who described the entire pandemic experience as “the nightmare that’s been going on inside [his] head for the last 64 years." As per Decider, while chit-chatting with Kimmel, Mandel went on to say, “So now welcome to my nightmare, Jimmy. This is what it’s like to be Howie Mandel!”
During an interview with People magazine, Mandel stated that his fear of gems began during his childhood days. Speaking of his battles with severe anxiety and obsessive compulsive disorder, Mandel said, "I'm living in a nightmare. I try to anchor myself. I have a beautiful family, and I love what I do. But at the same time, I can fall into a dark depression I can't get out of." In the same interview, Mandel mentioned that he has often used humor to cope with difficult situations. "My coping skill is finding the funny. If I'm not laughing, then I'm crying. And I still haven't been that open about how dark and ugly it really gets," Mandel added.
At the end of the day, comedy has been Mandel's saving grace, and it helped him to navigate through tough times. "Comedy saved me in a way. I'm most comfortable onstage. And when I don't have anything to do, I turn inward — and that's not good," Mandel shared. Along with this, Mandel noted that sometimes people fail to understand the depths of his condition. Mandel explained, "People see inconsistencies, especially in the media. 'Oh, he hugged someone' or 'he shook someone's hand.' I can shake your hand. But then I'd think I didn't wash it well enough. And I'd go back and forth in a loop, washing my hands for hours. I understand the funny in that. But it doesn't mean it isn't incredibly painful. And I don't want to defend my mental health. I just want to maintain it."