Jackelyn Mandel, Howie Mandel, Alex Mandel.Photo:Jeffrey Mayer/WireImage ; Steven A Henry/WireImage
Jeffrey Mayer/WireImage ; Steven A Henry/WireImage
Howie Mandelmay judge a wide variety of talent onAmerica’s Got Talent, but he’s always rooting for his three kids.
Howie met his wife,Terry Mandel, when they were kids. Both attended high school at William Lyon Mackenzie Collegiate Institute, fell in love and, ultimately, got married on March 16, 1980. Over the course of their four-decade marriage, the couple welcomed three children: daughter Jackelyn (Jackie), 39, son Alex, 33, and daughter Riley, 31.
When his children were teenagers and young adults, Howie opened up toParade Magazineabout marriage and parenthood, including the life lessons he hoped to teach them.
“What I try to teach my kids, is that life isn’t about making money or getting famous,” he explained. “If you’re doing something you look forward to and it’s fun, then you’ve made it. I happen to be lucky that way. The things that I look forward to and the things that I do for a living are one and the same.”
Though Howie thought of himself as a strict father, he knew that as his kids got older, he wouldn’t be able to set and enforce the rules in their household as he once had. He toldFamily Circlein September 2008, “I can’t tell them what to do anymore. Well I can, but they don’t have to listen!”
Howie also credits his wife for his children’s studious nature, as the comedian was ultimately kicked out of school and never graduated. He said that while he “set the example of what not to do,” they inherited Terry’s smarts, adding that his children “certainly didn’t get the buckle-down-and-get-good-grades ethic from me.”
Here’s everything to know about Howie Mandel’s three kids.
Jackelyn Shultz, 39
Howie Mandel daughter Jackelyn Shultz.Jackelyn Shultz Instagram
Jackelyn Shultz Instagram
Howie and Terry welcomed their first child, daughter Jackelyn, in 1984.
Growing up, Jackelyn walked the red carpet and made several public appearances with her father. Over the years, she’s accompanied him to multiple big Hollywood events, including the premieres ofTitanicin 1997 andHow to Lose a Guy in 10 Daysin 2003. In May 2013, Jackelyn also attended the 20th Annual Race to Erase MS Gala alongside Howie, where the father-daughter duo posed on the red carpet together.
Jackelyn also covered the red carpet forAmerica’s Got Talent,an experience that Howie described as “awkward” toAccess Hollywoodin September 2018. “She likes awkward more than I like awkward and she will ask me questions,” Howie said, to which his daughter responded, “He is the hardest person to interview and I get the most before interviewing you.”
Jackelyn said her nerves happen because her dad “messes” with her, explaining, “It’s not just straightforward asking questions. He’ll mess with me then I’ll lose my train of thought.”
Howie Mandel and Jackelyn Shultz.Jackelyn Shultz Instagram
In addition to their penchant for comedy, Howie and his daughter have one other big thing in common – they both suffer from anxiety and obsessive compulsive disorder. The comedian has beenliving with anxiety and OCDfor almost his entire life and told PEOPLE in June 2021 that he’s “not proud of that gift I’ve given her.”
Jackelyn said that having a father who has faced the same struggles as her and understands what she’s gone through has been “helpful,” adding, “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.”
Growing up, Jackelyn said both of their issues “ripped us apart,” explaining, “There were a lot of control issues about me being safe, like, where was I, what did I get into, what did I touch? He was strict. And there was a lot of hovering. We had trouble getting along in those times.”
As for today, Jackelyn said that the father-daughter duo “couldn’t be closer.”
Alex Mandel, 33
Howie Mandel son Alex Mandel.Alex Mandel Instagram
Alex Mandel Instagram
Howie and Terry welcomed their second child, son Alex, on Sept. 30, 1989.
In July 2022, Howie got candid about his son’s childhood struggles with a stutter after Amanda Mammana revealed during herAmerica’s Got Talentaudition that she had a speech impediment but when she sang, she didn’t stutter.
“My son was a stutterer as a kid,” Mandel said, according toNBC.“And this was a big hurdle to get over. So to hear your story, I kinda relate to it … And to watch that journey, from who you are and what you struggle with, to hear the purity today in not only your voice and your song but the words and the story, it was heroic and beautiful. Thank you for doing what you do.”
Like his older sister, Alex pursued a career in comedy and entertainment. He had an activeYouTube channelwhere he shared vlogs and other comedic videos with his 479,000 subscribers. He alsoshows off his humoron Instagram, including several posts that feature his famous father.
Alex has been at his father’s side over the years at a variety of events, from panels to red carpets. In February 2019, the father-son duo attended the 2019 Winter Television Critics Association Press Tour and spoke during theNational Geographicsegment, which involved Alex holding a large snake on stage standing beside his father. They were also photographed at a post-show red carpet forAmerica’s Got Talentin September 2014, as well as at Adam Carolla’s party in May 2013.
Alex Mandel and Howie Mandel during the 2019 Winter TCA.Corey Nickols/Getty
Corey Nickols/Getty
During an April 2016 interview with PEOPLE, Howie shared a hilarious story aboutembarrassing his son during a livestreamwhen he tried to find him a girlfriend. The comedian explained, “My oldest daughter is married and about to have her second child and my younger daughter just got engaged. My son’s only engagements are when he communicates with his online followers, so I thought, ‘Why not see if I can set my third child on the path towards marriage.’ ”
Amid the livestream, Howiemade a callout for a girlfriendfor his son, though he said he wasn’t “trying to embarrass him” and that his existence “does that enough.” However, he said that while his son was chatting with viewers, he figured it was “as good a place as any” for Alex to find himself dates. Despite his embarrassment, Howie said he was joining his son for another livestream to find a partner, adding, “I liken this to what I do as a judge onAmerica’s Got Talent.I never know what I’m looking for until I find it. This is basically justAmerica’s Got Daughter-In-Laws.”
“I think that it does get passed down,” Alex said, causing Howie to chime in and jokingly claim his son was “blaming him. Alex had his own clever response, adding, “So it’s his fault that I also have ADD and anxiety. But it is something that affects me, and I think that one thing that people don’t talk about is that it affects the family as a whole, even if only one member has that. I think it’s good that we’re doing this together, because we’ve had to deal with it together as a family.”
Riley Ehrlich, 31
Howie Mandel daughter Riley Ehrlich and her husband Cameron Ehrlich.Riley Ehrlich Instagram
Riley Ehrlich Instagram
Howie and Terry welcomed their youngest child, daughter Riley, in 1992.
Today, Riley describes herself as a holistic health coach on herInstagram. On social media, she shares a wide range of fitness routines with her 30,000 followers. In addition to her workout regimes, she also posts a variety of other tips, including dietary suggestions, tips for motivation to workout, pain reduction and prevention, and more.
Riley and Cameron got married June 29, 2019. Much like her sister Jackelyn, Riley’s older brother Alex alsoofficiated their nuptialsand evensurprised the couple with a slothduring the ceremony for a sweet reason. In an Instagram post, Riley explained, “Before kissing each other, we both kissed the sloth, promising one another to take life as slow as a sloth and enjoy every moment we have together.”
On their first anniversary, Riley shared that the couple had known eachsince they were teenagers, writing in the caption, “One year of marriage but you’ve been my best friend since I was 16.”
source: people.com
