Howie Mandel revealed his wife Terry issued him an ultimatum which pushed him into getting treatment for his OCD – after years of making his family ‘miserable’ with his condition.
The America’s Got Talent judge, 67, was diagnosed with obsessive compulsive disorder in his late 40s, however he struggled to seek help from healthcare professionals which put a strain on his loved ones.
Opening up about his journey to self-acceptance, Howie admitted: ‘I wouldn’t go see a therapist. I wouldn’t go see a psychiatrist. I would not talk about the word mental health at all.
‘I’d have my children and my wife spray everything down and not touch things. I wouldn’t take things that they were handed.
Howie Mandel credit’s his wife Terry for helping him professional help with his OCD
The AGT judge admitted he made his family ‘miserable’ before getting his diagnosis
‘I would remove some of their toys that I saw touch the ground. I was making their life miserable.’
Howie revealed that his wife Terry – whom he’s been married to for 43 years and shares three adult children with – urged him to seek help.
‘My wife just gave me an ultimatum,’ he recalled to Today.com. ‘She goes, “I can’t do this anymore and I can’t have the children do it anymore. And if you don’t get help, that’s it.”
‘So, it was an ultimatum that made me ultimately go to therapy, and I got diagnosed (with OCD).’
Praising his supportive wife, Howie added: ‘It’s important to have people around you who are there for you. That’s key, but they don’t know to be there for you if you don’t talk about it.’
Howie’s admission about his OCD journey comes as he revealed he hopes his America’s Got Talent co-star Sofia Vergara quickly finds a new man following her split from her husband Joe Manganiello.
The Modern Family actress, 51, is newly single after she and True Blood actor Joe announced in July that they were going their separate ways following eight years of marriage.
‘I love Sofía Vergara,’ Howie praised. ‘I find her incredibly, first, in no particular order, beautiful, smart, funny.’
Howie Mandel is hoping that his America’s Got Talent co-host Sofia Vergara quickly finds love again following her split from Joe Manganiello
Sofia and Joe announced their divorce in February after eight years of marriage
Speaking to People, he added that Sofia ‘deserves to be with somebody ASAP.’
Sofia and Howie both serve as judges on the long-standing competition series America’s Got Talent.
Howie has been a mainstay on the panel since 2010, when he replaced David Hasselhoff, 71, while Sofia joined the program alongside Heidi Klum, 50, in 2020.
The trio sit beside the series creator, Simon Cowell, 64, who made his judging debut in 2011 following Howard Stern’s exit.
Sofia and Joe, 46, tied the knot in Florida in 2015 but have now decided to go their separate ways.
Sources exclusively told DailyMail.com that the pair had drifted apart due to their ‘different attitudes’ – after first bonding over being opposites.
In a statement announcing their break-up, the couple shared: ‘We have made the difficult decision to divorce.
‘As two people that love and care for one another very much, we politely ask for respect of our privacy at this time as we navigate this new phase of our lives.’
Howie enthused that newly-single Sofia ‘deserves to be with somebody ASAP’
Joe cited ‘irreconcilable differences’ when he filed for divorce, with Sofia agreeing
Joe had previously cited ‘irreconcilable differences’ when he filed for divorce two days after the couple announced their split, with Sofia responding with the same reason for the separation in her filing from July 26.
In addition to requesting the court follow the terms of their prenuptial agreement, she also asked that she be allowed to keep her jewelry, artwork and ‘other personal effects,’ which she considered assets.
Last week, Sofia’s Modern Family co-star Julie Bowen – who was among the first to show public support for Sofia following news of her split – gave curious fans an update on her friend is holding up.
The 53-year-old actress told People that Sofia, is ‘doing great’, adding: ‘Her Instagram says it all. We have spoken, and she’s doing great.
‘Sofia has always had such a wonderful family that surrounds her and wonderful friends.’
Julie went on to praise Sofia as someone she looks up to, and explained: ‘Sofía has always been my role model as far as embracing being a woman and womanly, and yet also being powerful and not… I always felt like you had to compromise one for the other.’
The marriage was not a first for Sofia, who was married to Joe Gonzalez from 1991 to 1993. She and her ex-husband share son Manolo Gonzalez Vergara, 32.
