{"id":6832,"date":"2025-06-02T08:36:18","date_gmt":"2025-06-02T07:36:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/buzzfeednews.uk\/?p=6832"},"modified":"2025-06-02T08:36:18","modified_gmt":"2025-06-02T07:36:18","slug":"howie-mandel-opens-up-on-his-condition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/buzzfeednews.uk\/?p=6832","title":{"rendered":"Howie Mandel opens up on his condition"},"content":{"rendered":"

Howie Mandel, the well-known comedian, actor, and host of America\u2019s Got Talent<\/em>, has never shied away from speaking his truth. Recently, he opened up once again about his long-standing struggle with mental health\u2014a condition he says has shaped much of his personal and professional life.<\/p>\n

In a candid interview, Mandel revealed how living with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and anxiety has been both a burden and, strangely, a motivator. \u201cEvery day is a challenge,\u201d he said. \u201cBut if sharing my experience helps even one person feel less alone, then it’s worth it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mandel was diagnosed with OCD in his 40s, but he admits the signs were there long before. He describes feeling overwhelmed by intrusive thoughts, fear of germs, and a constant need to control his surroundings\u2014symptoms that only worsened in the spotlight of fame. \u201cI used to think I was just weird,\u201d he confessed. \u201cI didn\u2019t know what it was or how to talk about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

For years, the comedian relied on humor as a defense mechanism. \u201cMaking people laugh was how I masked what was going on inside,\u201d Mandel said. But behind the jokes, he was battling anxiety attacks, depressive episodes, and a fear of being misunderstood.<\/p>\n

The COVID-19 pandemic made things even harder. \u201cFor someone with germ-related OCD, a global pandemic is your worst nightmare,\u201d he shared. \u201cI spiraled. I couldn\u2019t sleep. I couldn\u2019t stop cleaning. I was terrified.\u201d At one point, Mandel said he feared he would completely lose control.<\/p>\n

Despite his challenges, Mandel continues to work in television and comedy, crediting therapy, medication, and a strong support system for keeping him grounded. He also emphasizes the importance of breaking the stigma around mental health.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want people to know it\u2019s okay to not be okay,\u201d he said. \u201cThere\u2019s no shame in getting help. You\u2019re not broken\u2014you\u2019re human.\u201d<\/p>\n

Today, Howie Mandel uses his platform not just to entertain, but to advocate for greater awareness and compassion toward mental illness. \u201cIf my story makes someone feel seen, then I\u2019ve done something good.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Howie Mandel, the well-known comedian, actor, and host of America\u2019s Got Talent, has never shied away from speaking his truth. Recently, he opened up once again about his long-standing struggle with mental health\u2014a condition he says has shaped much of his personal and professional life. In a candid interview, Mandel revealed how living with obsessive-compulsive […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2722,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6832","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-random-stuff"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/buzzfeednews.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6832","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/buzzfeednews.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/buzzfeednews.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/buzzfeednews.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/buzzfeednews.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6832"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/buzzfeednews.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6832\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6833,"href":"http:\/\/buzzfeednews.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6832\/revisions\/6833"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/buzzfeednews.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2722"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/buzzfeednews.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6832"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/buzzfeednews.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6832"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/buzzfeednews.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6832"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}