Howie Mandel recently publicly expressed his opinions regarding Vanderpump Rules star Tom Sandoval's interview he did on the Howie Mandel Does Stuff podcast and the backlash that followed.
Not only did he face criticism from fans, but from Bravo host Andy Cohen as well, who stated that Howie had not done any research before interviewing Tom. Now, according to Howie Mandel, Andy's remarks don't bother him.
During his time on Nick Viall's podcast, Viall Files, on Tuesday, May 2, Howie Mandel stated:
“I was a jackhole, I’m a jack***. (On Watch What Happens..) – Andy Cohen said I’m a jackhole, [and] I think that’s positive.”
Howie also joked about how he “just like[s] to have a title.” Furthermore, referring to Andy's long-time network, Howie said, “Bravo hates me,” and called the network's fans “really intense.”
For the unversed, on his show Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, the host had mentioned that the Howi Mandel Does Stuff host was a “jack****” because he “didn’t do his homework” before inviting Tom Sandoval. Additionally, Andy had also warned, saying:
“Howie, you have to be careful before you take a side. Bravo fans are very passionate.”
In response to Andy Cohen, Howie Mandel shared his reaction
Howie Mandel also mentioned during Viall's Tuesday podcast that his perspective was that he wanted to know Tom's side of the story. Furthermore, Howie explained that he promised Tom not to challenge him during their chat. According to him:
“My homework was talking to him, and I wanna hear this story, I wanna hear why it’s so big.”
The 67-year-old had faced Bravo loyalists' wrath after conducting the podcast interview with Tom Sandoval despite not seeing Vanderpump Rules or knowing much about the cheating scandal either.
He also made headlines at the time for not knowing who Vanderpump Rules cast member Scheana Shay was. During the same podcast interview with Nick Viall, Howie admitted that he still does not know who she is, even calling her "Scheala," which is a combination of Scheana and Lala. Scheana was in the news when she had an altercation with her former friend Raquel Leviss. Given that Tom's ex-partner Ariana Madix is a close friend of Scheana, this happened after the cheating scandal broke.
Tom was featured on the Howie Mandel Does Stuff podcast on Tuesday, April 11, where he discussed more about his cheating scandal. The said podcast created headlines because it was the first time the Tom Tom owner shared his side of the story.
Tom appeared on the podcast interview after facing criticism from viewers over his months-long affair with co-star Raquel Leviss while in a nine-year relationship with Ariana Madix. In addition, the co-owner of The Schwartz & Sandy's told how he ended his relationship with the latter on Valentine's Day.
The cheating scandal came to Ariana's attention while she was supporting Tom and his band in Los Angeles in early March 2023, according to an inside report by People magazine. According to insider reports:
"They had been having problems for a while, but this was the final straw for Ariana. She put up with a lot over the years, but she won't sit back and be disrespected this way."
In addition, the insider said:
"This has been going on for upwards of six months — all the while, Tom was sleeping next to Ariana in bed. She was completely blindsided by this; devastated doesn't even scratch the surface of how she feels."
It was following this that the couple announced publicly to go on separate paths on March 3, following which, Tom apologized on his social media the next day.