Howie Mandel got caught in a flak recently when a comment he made on "America's Got Talent" was received poorly.
Mandel was reportedly apologizing for making a joke about an eating disorder. The joke-in-question was made when "America's Got Talent" contestant Stevie "The Regurgitator" Starr performed his talent of swallowing objects and then regurgitating it whole, according to CBS News.
The comedian/host then said, "This would probably come out wrong, but you, sir, make bulimia entertaining." The fans of the show immediately reacted with outrage which prompted the live audience to give a mixed reaction of claps and groans.
Just moments later, he was made aware of the social media backlash it created. Page Six has learned that Howie Mandel has since said he was sorry for the comment and was quoted as saying, "I just want to take a second to apologize. I made a comment earlier, its live television, I wasn't thinking. I made light of bulimia, which is a very serious eating disorder and mental health issue. I deal with mental health all the time, and I did something stupid. I should never make light of it. I apologize to anybody that was offended. I'm not perfect, I make mistakes." He later reiterated those sentiments on Twitter.
As of this moment, the responses on his Twitter apology is generally positive and accepting.
Mandel is also known to be open regarding his personal mental issues including OCD (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder) which makes him suffer from a nearly debilitating fear of germs, as per Us Weekly.
In 2009, he was quoted in an interview with "20/20" as saying, "I'm always on the verge of death in my head." He then went on to say, "In my mind [my hand] is like a petri dish. ...Otherwise I would spend the day, as I have in the past in my life in the men's room rubbing and scrubbing and scalding... The biggest fear I have is being triggered. And if I'm triggered and I get some sort of weird thought in my head that can't go, then my day is, is stopped. My life stops."
