On June 14, 2022, the third round of America’s Got Talent Season 17 auditions began. As usual, the four judges, Simon Cowell, Heidi Klum, Sofia Vergara, and Howie Mandel, sat at the judging table and provided crucial criticism to the performers. However, viewers discovered Mandel was absent from the judges’ panel after the first hour of the broadcast. “Howie Mandel isn’t feeling well, so he won’t be here tonight,” said host Terry Crews. However, neither he nor the judges nor showrunners explained his absence. As a consequence, supporters were worried and inquired, “What Happened to America’s Got Talent 2022’s, Howie Mandel?”
Mandel, fortunately, was OK and was down with COVID-19 at the time of the shooting, so he had to stand back. In Howie’s absence, Crews stated that instead of the normal three yeses, competitors would only need two. But it was unnecessary since all three measures were approved. Mandel joked about his disappearance on Twitter on June 15, 2022: “I’m sorry, everyone, but could you cover for me tonight?”
The auditions were pre-recorded before the Live Shows began, and the judge has since recovered from COVID. Though Mandel informed his supporters that he was alright, several expressed their worry about his health on Twitter.
“I miss you, Howie,” one admirer said. I hope everything is going well for you right now. #AGT @howiemandel.” “Did Howie have some kind of Covid or something?” “Where was this one taped?” inquired another. “You couldn’t find a backup to replace Howie if he got sick?” a third admirer said. Mandel even responded to a few of the tweets.
Howie Mandel Discusses His COVID Diagnosis
Although the AGT judge did not say when he received COVID, there were rumors that Mandel had just come out of quarantine at the end of April 2022. Mandel told TMZ Live that he was relieved to be out of quarantine and that Covid-19 had a greater impact on his emotional health than his physical health. Mandel became ill while attending the Kids’ Choice Awards. He stressed that although the physical symptoms were not harmful, the collateral effect on his mental health was significant.
“I still feel like I’m coming to terms with the crazy.” I’m not kidding. I became quite miserable and anxious. Distracting myself is my sole cure for both my physical and emotional well-being. “You can’t divert yourself for 10 days in a room by yourself,” Mandel continued.
He then said that being susceptible to one’s mental health is more crucial today than ever. The judge has always been honest about his mental health struggles, revealing that he suffered from severe anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder for most of his life. He attends to counseling and takes medication to keep it under control, but in his experience, the capacity to speak about it is the greatest treatment. Mandel stated it was helpful to discuss his mental condition.