Howie Mandel Defends Joke He Made About Sofia Vergara 'Looking For An Eligible Bachelor'

Howie Mandel Defends Joke He Made About Sofia Vergara ‘Looking For An Eligible Bachelor’TV can bring unexpected moments, and recently, Howie Mandel’s surprising joke about Sofia Vergara’s relationship status on America’s Got Talent didn’t go too well with the internet. It happened after a 12-year-old ventriloquist and mentalist, Brynn Cummings, delivered a unique act involving fuzzy puppets. While praising Cummings, Mandel jokingly advised her to consult Sofia for eligible bachelors, referring to her recent separation from Joe Manganiello. His one-liner backfired, and it received mixed reactions from the audience. Some laughed at the situation, while others were shocked, but Vergara took it sportingly, as she waved her hands excitedly and screamed, “Yesss”. Host Terry Crews tried to cheer the crowd and said, “No, no, we’re not doing that here.”

Soon after the clip started circulating on the internet, fans of the reality show thought the comment was unnecessary. Now, responding to the backlash, Howie clarified that he was just “helping” Sofia when he mentioned her single status.

In a conversation with ET, Howie Mandel said, “People were killing me online”. Explaining the situation, he adds, “A young lady, who’s a Ventriloquist was doing an act where the trick was to find an eligible bachelor and she used Heidi to help her. ‘Hello. Its right here. Sofia is on the market’ and then online, people said it was too soon and it was tasteless.”

“It’s not too soon, as soon as they live in separate homes, the door is open people, and you guys gotta get her some entertainment tonight. She approved of the joke she thought it was funny, she posted afterwards, but the internet is mad at me,” he said.

Sofia Vergara’s recent appearance on America’s Got Talent marked her first on-screen appearance since the news surfaced about her divorce from estranged husband Joe Manganiello.

In July, the couple confirmed their decision to part ways in a joint statement to Page Six, stating, “We have made the difficult decision to divorce. As two people that love and care for one another very much, we politely ask for respect of our privacy at this time as we navigate this new phase of our lives.”

Sofia Vergara and Joe Manganiello’s love story began in 2014, following her previous engagement with businessman Nick Loeb. The two connected when Manganiello managed to get Vergara’s phone number from her Modern Family co-star Jesse Tyler Ferguson. He then decided to travel to New Orleans for a date with her. The couple’s relationship blossomed quickly and they got engaged just six months later. They later tied the knot on November 22, 2015.