Howie Mandel opened up about his nine-year-old grandson Axel’s private battle with leukemia and his journey to remission for the first time.
The 69-year-old TV personality – who is one of the judges on America’s Got Talent – was joined by his daughter Jackelyn Schultz on Wednesday’s episode of the In Depth With Graham Bensinger podcast as they got candid about the emotional topic.
Jackelyn is Howie’s eldest child and she shares both Axel as well as Abbey, 11, with husband Alex.
Axel’s diagnosis was first discovered following a trip to Hawaii and he began undergoing chemotherapy within 24 hours.
Howie explained that his grandson also had a bone marrow transplant from his older sister – but positively added the nine-year-old is in remission and ‘doing well now.’
The star admitted, ‘Three, four years, and it’s still a struggle. He doesn’t have an immune system, so he can’t go to school. He’s doing well. His leukemia is in remission. We’re just trying to build up his immune system.’
Howie Mandel, 69, opened up about his nine-year-old grandson Axel’s private battle with leukemia and his journey to remission for the first time; seen in 2024 in Pasadena
Howie explained that his grandson also had a bone marrow transplant from his older sister – but positively added the nine-year-old is in remission and ‘doing well now’
Jackelyn further explained that there is ‘so much’ more than just treatment when it comes to battling cancer.
She also shared that Axel is ‘doing well, but we’re still dealing with the bumps and hurdles that go along with the diagnosis and transplant.’
Howie and his daughter then recalled garnering negative comments – such as when Jackelyn wore a mask while filming the Howie Mandel Does Stuff podcast.
‘We’ve been doing [our] podcast, and sometimes somebody would come in to do a podcast, and they’d have a cold and [Jackelyn] would be wearing a mask,’ the TV personality said.
His daughter continued, ‘I got such hate and vitriol. [People] thought it was because I didn’t agree with their politics or whatever.
‘In my mind, I’m like, “They have no idea what I’m going through right now. They have no idea that I’m just trying to be able to go visit my son in the hospital.”‘
Jackelyn also shared that she is a ‘private person’ and decided to not share her son’s health battle.
‘You’d be surprised, or, I fear, that there would be people that would find a reason to hate on it or find a reason to justify why I’m going through this.’
The star admitted, ‘Three, four years, and it’s still a struggle. He doesn’t have an immune system, so he can’t go to school. He’s doing well. His leukemia is in remission. We’re just trying to build up his immune system’
Howie and his daughter then recalled garnering negative comments – including when Jackelyn wore a mask while filming the Howie Mandel Does Stuff podcast; the pair seen above
She further added, ‘I don’t need the negativity in my life, especially when it’s surrounding that issue.’
Jackelyn will occasionally post photos of her family on her main Instagram page, with her father also pictured spending time with his grandchildren.
Along with Axel and Abbey, the Deal Or No Deal alum is also grandfather to Noa, one, who his daughter Riley welcomed last year.
The star has previously gushed about having grandchildren during an appearance on The Jennifer Hudson Show.
Howie – who shares Jackelyn, Riley and son Alex with wife Terry Mandel – said he enjoys it ‘even more than being a father.’
He humorously told Hudson, ‘Grandchildren, had I known it was this good and this much fun, I would’ve done that first.
‘To have a child, to have a baby, to have this bundle of joy, this love that I can’t get enough of. And then to be able to give it back when it starts to smell.’
Howie is currently one of the celebrity judges on America’s Got Talent – which is amidst its 20th season.
Jackelyn will occasionally post photos of her family on her main Instagram page, with her father also pictured spending time with his grandchildren
However, the star was notably absent from the show last week and host Terry Crews revealed the reason for him not appearing for filming.
‘Now you have probably noticed there’s an empty chair here,’ the White Chicks actor said, per NBC. ‘Howie’s had a loss in the family so he’s not going to be with us tonight.’
Further details were not shared and the other three judges – Mel B, Simon Cowell and Sofia Vergara – continued on without Howie.
The TV personality made his return to the long-running show this week on Tuesday and cheerfully posed on the red carpet.
He sported a pair of black trousers as well as a black button up and vest with colorful pink and red stripes on the side.
And on Wednesday, the star was seen pausing for a lighthearted photo with Mel B while sitting at the judge’s table inside a spacious auditorium.
Season 20 of America’s Got Talent is slated to air the finale later this month on September 24.
Howie is also preparing to celebrate a milestone and will ring in his 70th birthday on November 29.
