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'Rude' Howie Mandel was forced to apologize after proud mom stood up for her 8-year-old on 'AGT'

Howie Mandel was 'really rude' to an 8-year-old on 'AGT', but years later his mother came back to set things right

On June 18, 2020, Michael and Angelina Novikova, the brother-sister duo, performed on 'America's Got Talent' Season 16. However, before the performance, something unexpected happened. When Howie Mandel asked the children, "What made you get into this? Somebody in your family do it or..." The little boy promptly responded, "My brother inspired me." He continued, "He has been here." Mandel, seemingly surprised, asked, "He's been here? On this show?" Michael confirmed with a "Yes" and also revealed that it was because of Mandel, who "Red-buzzed" him, that his brother couldn't make it to the finals.

After a brief pause, Cowell invited the duo's mother, Alla Novikova, to join them on stage for a quick chat with Mandel. Already feeling a bit embarrassed, Mandel protested, saying, 'Noooooooo, NO! NO!' Alla wasn’t a stranger to the 'AGT' stage, having performed in Season 11 with her other son, Daniel, who was just 8 years old at the time. So when she appeared again, Mandel was caught off guard by the familiar face. With a playful grin, Cowell asked her, "Is there something you'd like to say to Howie?" To everyone's surprise, Novikova, clearly with something to say, replied, "A lot."

In 'AGT' Season 11, Mandel hit the red buzzer during Alla and Daniel’s quarterfinal performance. Mandell said, "When we first saw you, you were a surprise … But this is the third time I’m seeing the same moves. Third strike you're out as far as I'm concerned," as per USA Today. Alla couldn't let it go so easily and told Mandel, "I would like to say you were really rude. " She continued, "And let me tell you why. You saw a little kid performing on the stage, dancing his heart out. He was dancing with joy. He was doing his best, and you were so hard on him." 

However, Mandel urged the kids to start their performance, "Let's see what they have got for us," he said. After the performance was over, the audience cheered and supported the act. Cowell again asked their mom to join on stage and told Mandel, "Howiee, is there anything you want to tell her now?" Feeling awful for his past actions, Madel quickly made an apology and said, "I want to personally apologize to you and your son. I’m so sorry." He continued, "Please accept my apology, please." While Cowell jokingly said, "You don't have to." While Alla took a pause, Angelina, being the sweetest, immediately said, "We all forgive you." She continued, "Everybody makes mistakes." Both the kids got yesses from all the judges, sending them over to the next round. Since then, the brother-sister duo has been crushing every dance stage, gathering many accolades in Latin Dance Championships.

This is not the only time Mandel has been embarrassed on the show and apologized for his mistakes. Mandel once mixed up two famous music artists Jelly Roll and Teddy Swims after a contestant, Dee Dee Simons performed on 'Lose Control', as per The Things. The song was originally sung by Teddy Swims; however, after praising the act, Mandel made a statement, "I gotta tell you something. I would imagine Jelly Roll is gonna be posting that." Fans took to social media to criticize Mandel. Later, Madel apologized on Twitter, "I know the difference, and I’m embarrassed,” he said.