HOWIE Mandel is well-known as a judge on America’s Got Talent and the former host of Deal or No Deal.
When the Canadian television personality is not working in the entertainment industry, he can be found at home with his wife, Terry, of over 40 years.
Who is Howie Mandel’s wife, Terry?
Howie and Terry Mandel have been married for 44 years.
According to People, the couple wed on March 16, 1980.
Aside from being the wife of the famed America’s Got Talent judge, Terry is known as a TV producer and talent agent who has “alongside her husband on a few different projects,” per the outlet.
She worked as an associate producer on the 1985 TV special Howie Mandel: Live from Carnegie Mall.
The pair own a talent agency called The Abstract Talent Agency, which is based in Los Angeles, California.
How did Howie Mandel meet his wife?
Per People, the couple began dating in high school after meeting at the concession stand at their local youth center.
During a May 2022 appearance on Today with Hoda & Jenna, Howie shared that they met in line while waiting to purchase french fries.
“I actually borrowed money from her. I didn’t know her, and I was short a couple of bucks for french fries and she lent me money. She was, like, 14 at the time and she lent me money. And I’ve been paying her back ever since,” the former Deal or No Deal host said.
Before their decades-long relationship, Terry turned Howie down.
“She said no until I was like … I think the first time I dated her I was 19. She didn’t want to go out with me,” the comedian recalled.
The pair’s first date was at a movie theater.
“I first asked Terry out in high school. 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,” Howie told The Wall Street Journal in 2018.
“Her arms were crossed. She said, ‘Very funny.’ She thought it was one of my gags,'” he said of Terry’s reaction.
In September 2023, Howie spoke about his long-lasting marriage with People.
“My wife doesn’t speak or understand a word of English, so that’s what works for us. I don’t know how to say ‘I am funny’ in her language, but it works for us,” he joked with the outlet.
“Communication is overrated. I’ve been married for 43 years and we haven’t said a word to each other,” the comedian further teased.
Who are Howie and Terry’s children?
Terry and Howie share three kids, including one son and two daughters.
Their eldest child and daughter, 40-year-old Jackelyn Shultz, was born in 1984, followed by their son, 34-year-old Alex Mandel, in 1989.
The couple welcomed their youngest child and daughter, 32-year-old Riley Ehrlich, in 1992.
In 2021, Howie and Jackelyn sat down with People to talk about their shared mental health struggles.
Both Howie and his eldest daughter suffer from anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder.
“I’m not proud of that gift I’ve given her. But our coping skills are to find the light,” Howie told the outlet at the time.
Jackelyn, who is now a mom to kids Abbey and Axel, went on to talk about the struggles she has faced over the years, adding that the Covid-19 pandemic was ” really, really hard” on her mental health.
“My anxiety sometimes leads to depression. I went through the extreme and I just locked myself in,” Jackie recalled.”I’ve been isolated and scared for a year and a half and now that things are starting to open back up, I’m really not at the same place that most people are. I’m working with a therapist to get back out into the world.”
Despite her struggles, Jackelyn said that having her dad understand what she goes through has been “helpful.”
“My dad is very open about going to therapy and erasing the stigma. Whenever I was upset or sad or having a bad day, I knew I could reach out,” she continued.
