Getty Howie Mandel and wife Terry Soil at the Governors Ball for the 60th Primetime Emmy Awards.
Howie Mandel, judge of America’s Got Talent and host of the recently rebooted Deal or No Deal, has been married to his wife Terry for 39 years (they were married in 1980). In spite of his busy professional schedule, they appear to spend a lot of time together, which includes time with their grandchildren. Though he primarily uses his social media to promote his shows, Terry, their children, and grandchildren are also featured, showing the love he has for the family he and Terry built together.
Here’s what you need to know about Howie Mandel’s wife, Terry:
1. She & Howie Have 3 Adult Children Together
Terry and Howie have two daughters and a son, Jackie, Riley, and Alex. Alex is an actor and YouTube vlogger, and Jackie, who is a mother of two, also produces a YouTube vlog called “Life With Jackie;” Riley graduated as a doctor last May. According to Jackie’s Instagram posts, her kids call Terry and Howie “Nona and Papa.”
Terry and Howie continue to live in the Calabasas home where they lived with their children; however, Howie told The Wall Street Journal “Our daughters, Jackie and Riley, and our son, Alex, have all moved out. I’m tired of getting calls that the sprinkler doesn’t work or something needs to be fixed. If I had my druthers, I’d live in a hotel. Terry doesn’t want to hear about it. The compromise we struck is buying an apartment in Los Angeles.”
2. Howie Rented Her an Elephant for Her Birthday
In 2013, Howie revealed in an interview with Conan O’Brien that to celebrate his wife’s birthday, he rented an elephant to surprise her with in their backyard. Though he thought it would be a “cool” gift, it pulled out their trees, broke their sprinklers, and pooped on their lawn. While the audience laughed, he said it “wasn’t funny,” and that there were no other parts to the birthday celebration – no lunch, no birthday cake, no guests.
When Conan asked him why he thought that would be a good idea, he said “Now I don’t. You learn from your mistakes. It was for the girl that had everything.” Then, he rendered Conan speechless by making a joke about her being with him “through the bush years… now she waxes.”
3. She Is a ‘Crazy’ Animal Lover
Howie Mandel and wife Terry Soil at the 15th annual Race to Erase MS event.
When he returned to Conan in July 2018, Mandel referred to his wife as a “crazy animal lover.” He elaborated, explaining that though his wife says she rescues animals, he says “if it passes her path, she picks it up and brings it ‘look what I rescued.’ It’s got a shiny coat, it’s got tags, you took. You know who rescued it? The guy who’s ringing the doorbell saying he wants his puppy back.”
Continuing to share stories about Terry’s love of animals, he said that she had recently picked up a stray cat that bit her. Not only did the cut require stitches, but she needed weekly shots in her stomach in case the cat had rabies. This was a particular problem for Mandel, who is a germaphobe and diagnosed with OCD, because he “sleep[s] with a woman who might have rabies.”
4. She Convinced Howie to Host ‘Deal or No Deal’ When He Was First Given the Offer
According to CNBC, “Mandel initially turned down the offer to host, believing it would be a career killer.” Terry played a major role in convincing him to take the offer. While doing press for the show’s 2018 return, Howie told The Gazette “In 2005, when I got asked to do a game show, there was no comics hosting game shows. And I said no to it three times. My wife told me to take the deal, and I took the deal.” His decision, with the help of Terry’s push, was clearly the right one in his opinion, since he added “There is no show I’ve ever been part of or no project I’ve ever been part of that has changed my life, that has changed my career, that is more exciting to be part of than ‘Deal or No Deal.’ And … I’ve been trying to scratch and claw my way back onto this stage.”
5. She & Howie Met When They Were 12 Years Old
Howie Mandel and wife Terry Soil pose with Mandel’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Mandel revealed that he and Terry met “When we were 12 at the local Y.” Their first date was in high school; Mandel said “We drove to the movies in my mother’s Cutlass Supreme. The car hit an ice patch and wound up teetering on its side before coming down on four wheels,” which Terry thought was one of Mandel’s comedic gags.
Tune in to CNBC for new episodes of Deal or No Deal on Wednesday nights at 9 & 10pm ET. America’s Got Talent: The Champions premieres on NBC January 7 at 8pm/7pm CT.