Howie Mandel has admitted he is not proud of his decision to apologise to Kelly Ripa following an awkward on-air clash that has dominated entertainment headlines this week.
The America’s Got Talent judge, who recently celebrated his 70th birthday, expressed his regret during an interview on Tuesday’s Hot Mics with Billy Bush.
Reflecting on a public apology he posted to Instagram, Mandel confessed that he doesn’t believe in apologising and said of the post, “I kind of regret making, obviously I told a joke that didn’t land well.”
The friction began during an appearance on Live with Kelly and Mark, where Ripa and her husband, Mark Consuelos, complimented Mandel on how well he looked for his age.
Mandel appeared to take offence, comparing their praise to telling a stupid person they seem smart.
Although the audience laughed, the exchange sparked a wave of social media backlash that Mandel admits he has struggled to contain.
During his chat with Billy Bush, he noted that while comedians usually feel they’ve done their job if they make one person laugh, “apparently that’s not enough.”
Initially, Mandel had made a rare exception to his career-long rule against saying sorry. In a video filmed by the beach, he explained that he was only doing so because of his long-standing friendship with Ripa, who has been incredibly supportive of him over the years.
During that Sunday post, he told his followers, “Not only do I want to say I’m sorry to Kelly — and this is the hardest part — you’re right. You’re absolutely right, and I’m sorry I didn’t see it that way.”
He ended that clip by jokingly embracing the idea that he does, in fact, look fantastic for 70.
