Howie Mandel has expressed some second thoughts about apologizing to Kelly Ripa after an awkward moment on their show.

The incident began last week when Mandel appeared on the talk show hosted by Ripa and her husband, Mark Consuelos. During the show, they complimented the 70-year-old comedian on his appearance.

Mandel, however, took issue with the way the compliment was delivered and initially responded with a jest that later prompted him to apologize, clarifying it was intended as a joke.

Now, Mandel feels he might have overreacted by trying to smooth things over so publicly.

‘I don’t believe in apologizing but I said, as I said in that post, which I kind of regret making,’ Mandel, now wearing a wig, said during an appearance on Hot Mics with Billy Bush. 

When asked about his regrets regarding the apology, he explained, “I don’t think you should apologize for a joke.”

Though he admits the joke “didn’t land well,” Mandel remains unsure about who exactly might have been offended by his comment.

Howie Mandel now regrets a post he made apologizing for Kelly Ripa after their awkward on-air exchange over his appearance

The debacle all started last week after Mandel appeared on Ripa and Mark Consuelo’s talk show, where they complimented the 70-year-old comedian’s appearance 

‘Obviously I told a joke that didn’t land well,’ he said. ‘Comedians always say, ‘If you can make one person laugh, you’re doing the job.’ But apparently that’s not enough. It’s not enough. So you liked my joke. I’m reading and there’s no stopping it and I don’t understand and I tried to stop it. I tried to apologize. I agreed with people. I do.’

‘I don’t know. I’ve been reading articles on the Internet and I don’t know. And if somebody is offended, if somebody feels that I did wrong, then I apologize.’

Mandel joked the drama also made him more fixated on his physical appearance. 

‘It’s made me focus more… up until a couple of weeks ago, I don’t really focus on my looks. I focus on staying healthy and vibrant… I’m focusing more on my exterior, on how I’m project myself,’ he said. 

‘I don’t know what’s going on and I don’t know when this will end. And I hope it ends soon because I didn’t mean to cause any disruption. I didn’t mean to embarrass anybody.’ 

Mandel jumped to his main Instagram page on Saturday to explain that the interaction was ‘meant as a joke’ as he apologized to Ripa. 

In a video taken on the beach, the star told his followers: ‘I’ve been debating for 48 hours whether I should make this post or not, and I don’t know if I’m doing the right thing.

‘Philosophically, I don’t believe that somebody who’s a comedian needs to apologize for a joke. It is a joke, it is meant as a joke, and it’s not meant to offend.’

But Mandel said he didn’t appreciate how the compliment was phrased 

Mandel issued an apology to Ripa in a video taken on the beach after debating whether to do so for ’48 hours’ 

The media personality added that ‘you can not like it and, in all my years – 50 years in in the business – I haven’t ever publicly apologized for [a joke].’

Mandel then admitted ‘this is hard for me’ before giving a message directly to Ripa.

He expressed that she has been ‘incredibly supportive’ of him over the years and added, ‘Not only have I been a guest on her show, but I have cohosted with her and I have known her for years.’

The star said that when he ‘goes out there, I just try to be entertaining and funny.

‘And sometimes as a comedian, things don’t land the way you mean them to land. And… I don’t know how to say this…’

Following a brief pause, Mandel stated, ‘Not only do I want to say I’m sorry to Kelly but – and this is the hardest part – you’re right. You’re absolutely right, and I’m sorry I didn’t see it that way.

Mandel said he intended the remark as a joke but said Ripa has been ‘incredibly supportive’ of him 

The drama has also made Mandel more fixated on his physical appearance; seen in 2024 in Pasadena 

‘But after a lot of thought and self reflection, I… I look great for my age, I really do. I really… I look fantastic. And I just have to embrace the fact that I look this good,’ he said in conclusion.

In the caption of his latest post, the comedian simply typed out: ‘Message to @kellyripa.’

Mandel’s appearance on the daytime show came five months after the America’s Got Talent judge celebrated his 70th birthday last year in November.

‘It doesn’t make any sense,’ Ripa began, before Mandel interjected, asking: ‘What do you mean it doesn’t make any sense? That I look great?’

Ripa and Consuelos then scrambled to defuse the situation, as Mandel told them he didn’t like the way they phrased the compliment.

‘No. No. No,’ he told the couple. ‘I don’t like that because that’s a caveat. When you tell someone you’re 70, and they say you look great… ‘

Ripa chimed in again during the tense moment, assuring the actor that’s not what they meant.

‘We’re not saying you look great for 70 [years old],’ the TV host assured him. ‘We’re saying you look great and I don’t believe you’re 70.’

However, Mandel refused to let the comment go, explaining to the pair why it offended him.

‘No. No. It’s like saying you’re smart for a stupid person,’ he told them. ”Oh, you seem smart, you seem smart,’ you see, no, I don’t look good.’

Thankfully, he then attempted to lighten the mood as he jokingly agreed he looks ‘gorgeous’ before sharing his workout routine with the hosts.