Howie Mandel has apologized to Kelly Ripa after a tense on-air exchange on her talk show went viral.
During a recent episode of Live with Kelly and Mark, Mandel, 70, shut Ripa down after she attempted to pay him a compliment about his looks.
“You just celebrated 70 years. You’re 70 years old,” Ripa’s co-host and husband Mark Consuelos said, while Ripa said it “doesn’t make any sense” to her.
“What do you mean it doesn’t make any sense?” Mandel asked, to which Consuelos replied, “You look great!”
However, Mandel snapped back: “I look great? That doesn't mean anything to me! No, no, no, no. I don’t like that, because that’s a caveat.”
Ripa attempted to explain, “We’re not saying you look great for 70. You look great,” but Mandel pushed back, “Yes, you are, without saying ‘70’!”
The rest of the March 23 interview continued as normal, however, with no apparent tension between the three.
On Sunday, Mandel shared a video on Instagram in which he explained he was joking during the interaction but apologized nonetheless because of how “supportive” Ripa has been throughout his career.
“I have 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,” Mandel began.
“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… In all my years, 50 years in the business, I haven't ever publicly kind of apologized for [a joke]. It’s hard for me,” he continued.
“But this is for Kelly Ripa, who, in the past, has been incredibly supportive. Not only have I been a guest on her show, but I have co-hosted with her, and I've known her for years… When I go 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,” he added.
He continued, “And I don’t know how to say this, but 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.
“But after a lot of thought and self-reflection, I do look great for my age! I really do… I look fantastic, and I just have to embrace the fact that I look this good,” the comedian said, smiling.
Ripa’s representatives did not immediately respond to The Independent’s request for comment.
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