Howie Mandel Breaks Silence On His Wife's Shocking Accident In Las Vegas Hotel
By Afouda Bamidele on June 18, 2024 at 10:15 AM EDT
Howie Mandel got more than he bargained for during a recent trip to Sin City with his longtime wife, Terry Mandel.
The "America's Got Talent" judge revealed the couple's romantic getaway took a wrong turn after his wife got tipsy. He shared the gruesome details in the latest episode of "Live With Kelly and Mark."
Howie Mandel has been married to Terry for over 40 years, and their romance surprisingly began as childhood sweethearts.
Howie Mandel Details His Wife's 'Tipsy' Accident In Las Vegas
What happened in Vegas did not stay in Vegas for the Mandel family, as news of Terry's accident sparked concern about her well-being. Her doting husband humorously addressed the situation while recalling the unforgettable night in a video shared on YouTube.
"She is doing well. I don't know if you remember, but it's the most beautiful place. I took my lovely bride, who is lovely. Much more lovely than I am. I took her out for dinner at Poppy's, which is I'm gonna plug it again, but it was the best dinner we had," Howie explained, adding:
"And we partied like it was, like it was too much, and she was tipsy. Okay. I did not know that. And in the middle of the night, she got up, and I don't know where she was headed, but she headed into the wall, and she fell and hit the wainscoting. I know that because I watch HGTV."
Describing how Terry fell with his hands, Howie continued: "She hit that as she went down. She slipped, went down, hit that on her eye, then fell on the floor and broke her cheek." Her painful cries finally woke the comedian up, and he discovered his disoriented wife on the floor.
Howie Shared A Picture Of His Wife's Bruises
Following his recollection of Terry's tipsy accident, Howie shared a close-up picture of the aftermath. The snap detailed the bruises on her face, with a cut on her forehead and one eye nearly swollen shut from the injuries.
"Look at this. This is my wife. People said, what happened? She said, Vegas!" Howie added, noting that Terry looked much better now than the picture. However, his heart nearly popped out of his chest when he first discovered her on the floor of their Las Vegas hotel room.
"I wake up. I turn on the light. I look and I look around the bed. She's in the corner face down, and I didn't know she cut her head. But blood is pooling. Snapped is on TV. Blood is pooling out, and I just freaked out," the TV personality recalled.
"I picked her up. I put her on the bed. I put her on the bed. There's blood everywhere, I went and grabbed all the towels, and all the towels are covered with blood. And she's going 'Get me ice,'" Howie continued, noting that the first place that came to mind for ice was the mini-bar instead of the ice machine.
Terry Mandel's Fall Exposed Her Skull
The chaotic night of Terry's tipsy fall saw her husband trying to ease her pain with cold sodas from the mini-bar. However, Howie claimed she threw the three cans he brought across the room due to the pain.
When she threw the two cans he wrapped in a towel for her head, the comedian recalled seeing her exposed skull from the cut on her forehead. Seeing this sent chills down Howie's spine, finally prompting him to call the hotel's front desk and implore them to call 911.
After hearing that his wife was bleeding, the hotel's management sent security to Howie's room, which was a mess with blood and discarded soda cans. The security personnel suspected he was the culprit, some taking pictures as evidence while others helped Terry.
Inside Terry & Howie Mandel's Longtime Relationship
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During his recollection of Terry's fall, Howie repeatedly declared his love for her and stressed that he could not live without his longtime spouse.
The couple's over-a-decade romance began when they were kids, meeting while waiting in line to buy french fries.
Howie was short on money to pay for his meal, but Terry loaned him the money, a moment that had him chasing after her for years.
"She said no until I was like … I think the first time I dated her, I was 19. She didn't want to go out with me," the media personality recalled, per PEOPLE.
Although their first date almost ended in disaster due to bad weather, the lovebirds eventually grew close enough for Howie to pop the big question at a deli. He bought a loose diamond and told Terry: "'I got to go to the bathroom, but if you want to make a ring, go ahead.'"
The Couple Share Three Wonderful Kids
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Howie and Terry have been married for over 40 years, saying their vows on March 16, 1980. Four years after walking down the aisle, they welcomed their first child, a daughter named Jackie, in 1984.
Their second child, a son named Alex, was born in 1989, while their youngest daughter, Riley, arrived in 1992. In an interview, the oldest of the brood, Jackie, opened up about having anxiety and OCD like her famous dad.
"My dad is very open about going to therapy and erasing the stigma. Whenever I was upset or sad or having a bad day, I knew I could reach out," the doting daughter said. Howie and Terry are also grandparents to Jackie's kids, Abbey and Axel.