Howie Mandel is going against the grain when it comes to the backlash Meghan Markle has faced following a remark she made about her time on “Deal Or No Deal.”
The Canadian recently broke his silence on the matter, given that he served as the host of the game show for more than a decade, and he has nothing but support for the duchess’ point of view.
Howie Mandels Supports Meghan Markle Amid Backlash
The “America’s Got Talent” judge, during a recent interview with US Weekly, shared his thoughts on the seemingly controversial topic and shared he didn’t understand what all the fuss was about.
“I get it because — I’ve never said this before — but they had this pyramid of 26 beautiful, intelligent women standing there just staring at me like I was a piece of meat,” Mandel said. The comedian told the interviewer that he could seemingly relate to Markle’s point of view because he would sometimes feel that way.
He confessed, “I was in the center, just dressed up in a suit, and I felt like I am more than this. And they would just look at me, and I had to do nothing.” The Canada native admitted that he “felt like nothing” while serving as host, and that prompted him to move on and become a judge on “America’s Got Talent,” something he still does until this day.
The “Howie Mandel Does Stuff” podcast host, however, had nothing but good things to say about the working environment on “Deal or No Deal” and, in the process, defended the Duchess of Sussex. He praised the NBC program for having “a great workplace environment” and reiterated that the former actress wasn’t bashing the show.
In his words, “I don’t think she’s maligning Deal or No Deal. I don’t think there weren’t ever [any] complaints from any of the women. And unlike most shows up until that point, the ladies had more to do. They weren’t just pointing out gifts and opening [cases]. A lot of times they were mic’d and they had their input.”
The 66-year-old recalled that many of the models who held the case were super smart, mentioning one who graduated law school while filming the game show. He concluded his opinion on the issue by saying:
“I’ve never really heard anybody complain and I don’t think Meghan is complaining. I think Meghan just said she wanted to do more. It wasn’t fulfilling for her. So I don’t know why there is a big hoopla, except I have to say that me standing there with 26 women staring at me made me feel like a bimbo.”
Whoopi Goldberg Slammed The Duchess For ‘Deal Or No Deal’ Comment
During the October 18 episode of her “Archetypes” podcast, Markle revealed she felt “objectified” because she was being used for her looks and not for her brain. She recalled being subjected to intense glammed-up sessions and being told to “suck it in” before mounting the stage.
“I didn’t like being forced to be all looks and little substance, and that’s how it felt for me at the time — being reduced to this specific archetype,” she explained.
However, the former “Suits” actress’ comment wasn’t taken lightly by the public, who alleged she was playing the victim and knew exactly what she was signing up for before becoming a part of the show. One such person was tv host Whoopi Goldberg.
During an episode of “The View,” Goldberg bashed the Royal, saying, “That’s TV, baby … what did you think you were going to do? You know that’s what the show was.” The veteran host shared that she believed the audience was more interested in the money sum over objectifying the models with the suitcases.
“I don’t know that the people who are sitting there are thinking about you like that. They’re thinking, ‘I want the money. Because Vanna White is always in something interesting and beautiful, and she’s been doing this…”
She added that she believes the “objectification” Markle felt came from within her because of how she felt “about how these women were being portrayed, and that’s what you have to change because we’re performers. When you’re a performer, you take the gig.”
