Comedian Howie Mandel’s Judaism is central to his identity. From joking about Jewish rituals to advocating for Israel on social media, it shows up all over his work.
Here’s everything to know about his Jewish background.
The Basics
Howie Mandel was born to Jewish parents in Toronto, Canada in November 1955.
His hijinks started early when he was expelled from the William Lyon Mackenzie Collegiate Institute for impersonating a school official to convince a construction company to build an addition to the school.
After working as a traveling salesman, Madel had a stint as a stand-up comedian at Yuk Yuk’s comedy club in Toronto. By September 1978, he was a featured act and was billed as a “wild and crazy borderline psychotic.”
After moving to Los Angeles, he ended up as a regular performer at The Comedy Story and a producer for the comedy game show “Make Me Laugh,” and decided to book him for several appearances on the show after seeing his performance.
Later, the head of CBC-TV’s variety programming saw his performance and signed him for a TV special, and not long after, he got the lead role in the Canadian movie “Gas.”
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Two years after starring in the film, Mandel was cast in “St. Elsewhere” as Dr. Wayne Fiscus. He then starred in several films, voicing Gizmo from the movie Gremlins and its sequel and starring in “A Fine Mess,” along other shows and movies.
Mandel is also well known for his time hosting the game show “Deal or No Deal” and his long time job as a judge on “America’s Got Talent.” He now also hosts a podcast called “Howie Mandel Does Stuff” alongside his daughter, Jackelyn Shultz.
Mandel has been married to his wife, Terry, since 1980. They have two daughters, Jackie and Riley, and a son, Alex.
Jewish identity plays an important role in Mandel’s life
Mandel’s Jewish identity has been a strong part of his life.
For the year after Mandel lost his father, he included a clause in his tour contracts making sure that the shows wouldn’t start before sundown and that he would have a group of 10 Jewish men with him so he could recite Kaddish, a prayer recited daily for the year after a close relative passes away.
In an interview in 2013, Mandel joked that his first performance was when he was eight days old.
“My bris (circumcision) was my first live show in front of an audience. Unfortunately, however, the performance was cut short,” he said.
Mandel added that his “first real foray into show business” was his bar mitzvah.
“My first act was my Haftorah which, I will admit today, I didn’t write. I’m ashamed to say that it was lifted from other people’s writing, despite the fact that I’m well aware that the first rule of show business is never to do somebody else’s material,” said the comedian.
Mandel stressed that he is proud of his heritage and shared his love for Israel.
“When I went to Israel a few years ago, there was a feeling, as soon as I landed, that this was where you’re supposed to be. Still, I felt bad because we wandered 40 years to get there, but I just took a flight, so I feel like I cheated. But Israel stands for so much more than just Judaism; it makes me even prouder to be a Jew,” Mandel said.
“Israel is this little pit bull surrounded by her enemies, and yet, it is strong enough to not only hold its own, but to flourish. It epitomizes what North America and much of the world should be, in terms of democracy and freedom. It’s so far ahead socially, economically, as a leader in technology and so much more. If you haven’t been there — whether you’re a Jew or a gentile, you should go. It’s just a great place to be.”
Fighting antisemitism, one joke at a time
Since Oct. 7, Mandel has worked to combat antisemitism, often through his comedy.
This past year, as antisemitism skyrocketed across America and around the world, Mandel joined other Jewish comedians to hold a “Roast of Antisemitism.”
Mandel has also shared posts advocating for the hostages still being held by Hamas in Gaza and condemning the international response to the Oct. 7 attacks.
In Mandel’s “Howie Mandel Does Stuff” podcast, Mandel expressed shock after comedian Ari Shaffir insisted that antisemitism was not as much of a growing issue as many feared.
“The reality is antisemitism is alive and well, is growing, is warming up,” said Mandel. I got to tell you that as a Jew, it is a little scary, and I can’t believe that you, as a Jew, I don’t believe you, that you can keep it out of mind.”
When the Jerusalem Youth Chorus performed in the America’s Got Talent competition this year, Mandel referred to their rendition of Phillip Phillips’ “Home” as a “world anthem.”
