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The 14th season of America’s Got Talent premieres on May 28 on NBC. Howie Mandel has been a judge on the reality competition show since 2010. For this season, he is joined on the panel by Simon Cowell, Gabrielle Union, and Julianne Hough. Celebrity Net Worth estimates Howie Mandel’s net worth at $40 million.
The Canadian-born actor and comedian has been working in film and television for over 30 years. His role in the TV drama St. Elsewhere from 1982 to 1988 helped launch Mandel’s acting career, and he next created and voiced characters in the children’s show Bobby’s World. From 1998 to 1999 he hosted his own afternoon talk show, The Howie Mandel Show, and he was the host of Deal or No Deal from 2005 to 2009, and again from 2018 to present.
Mandel has been married to his wife Terry since 1980, and the couple has three children together.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. Howie Mandel Makes an Estimated $14 Million for a Season of ‘America’s Got Talent’
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According to Forbes, Mandel was paid about $750,000 per episode of Deal or No Deal. Celebrity Net Worth estimates his salary on America’s Got Talent to be about $70,000 per episode. With 22 episodes in a season, Mandel could easily make $14 million for each season of America’s Got Talent.
While the show has seen other judges come and go, Mandel has remained a constant in the series. He joked to People that the secret to his long tenure on the show was affordability. “I think if I had to put one word on why NBC keeps me on the show, I would say affordable. I would like other people to know I’m affordable. It doesn’t cost you that much, I’ll show up.”
2. Mandel Has Appeared in Commercials for Boston Pizza, Buy.com, and Xfinity
In addition to his estimated $14 million yearly salary as a host of America’s Got Talent, Howie Mandel has also made money by appearing in commercials for brands like Boston Pizza, Buy.com, and Xfinity. The amounts he was paid for these endorsements are not public.
3. He Spent Over $9 Million on Condos in Santa Monica
The Los Angeles Times reports that in 2016 Mandel spent $4 million on a pair of condos in downtown Santa Monica. The larger condo features 14-foot ceilings and a 1900 square-foot living room with an 80 inch TV. According to The LA Times, the year prior Mandel bought a two-story penthouse in the same building for $5.3 million.
Despite spending lavishly on his living space, Mandel maintains he has rather conservative financial habits. He told CNBC Make It that he would be a terrible contestant on his show Deal or No Deal because he hates taking risks with his money.
“In my mind,” he said, “if I showed up for 10 minutes and somebody said, ‘The banker is now offering you $15,000’? Deal. You’re handing me $15,000! There’s a chance I could tank on the next couple of openings, there’s a chance I’ll never see the million dollars.”
4. Mandel Is a Bestselling Author
Mandel’s 2010 memoir Here’s the Deal: Don’t Touch Me was a National Bestseller. In the book, Mandel recalls how his OCD and ADHD have affected him personally and professionally. Mandel has an extreme phobia of germs due to his OCD, and that is why he fistbumps guests on his show rather than shaking hands.
He told ABC’s 20/20 that he wanted his book to raise awareness and acceptance for mental health issues in America. “You know, in the middle of a workday, wherever you work in America if you got up and say, ‘I’m gonna go see my dentist,’ nobody would even flinch,” Mandel said.
“But if you got up in the middle of the day and said, ‘You know what, I gotta go, I’m having a little issue. I’ve gotta go to my psychiatrist. I’ll be back in an hour.’ I think that people would — ‘Did he just say he’s going to the psychiatrist?’ …There’s a stigma.”
5. In 2019, Mandel Returned to His Roots in Standup Comedy
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In April 2019, Howie Mandel released his first standup special in twenty years, Howie Mandel Presents Howie Mandel at the Howie Mandel Comedy Club. The special aired on Showtime, with streaming available on Comedy Dynamics, and consisted of scripted bits from Mandel and free-flowing crowd interactions with the comedian. A reviewer for Vulture said, “His energy in some scripted parts feels restless and rushed, but when he works on the audience, he almost leans back, preternaturally relaxed and comfortable.”
Mandel has also scheduled some live comedy shows for July and August, with dates in Windsor, Canada and Atlantic City, New Jersey.