Things Get Fiery Between Howie Mandel and Marc Maron as the Two Debate "Wokeness"

In the world of comedy, Howie Mandel and Marc Maron occupy two separate areas in the same sphere. Marc is often jokingly referred to as the "king of podcasts," and openly uses his acerbic wit and debate skills to tackle tough topics.

Howie is a little less straightforward in his efforts to address the world's most pressing issues.

Howie hosted Marc on a podcast in August 2025, and it led to an apparent feud between the two with the duo grappling over the morality of comedy and "wokeness" in the United States. Here's what we know about what went down, and how Howie's politics play into the situation.

The apparent feud between the comedians comes from an August 2025 podcast interview on Howie's show "Howie Mandel Does Stuff."

In the interview, Marc discussed the fact that comedians can no longer complain that their free speech is being suppressed by political correctness, because comedians are allowed to "punch down" without consequences.

The "anti-woke" comedy era, Marc explained, includes comedians mocking transgender people, immigrants, and other vulnerable individuals, because the algorithm rewards them for a snarky sound byte.

It's so bad, Marc explained, that comedy is becoming "anti-woke" for the sake of the algorithm. Howie disagreed, saying that the worst thing you could be is racist, meaning "wokeness" is still in play. Marc called him out, saying that President Donald Trump is in the White House.

Marc went on to suggest that if someone who many people consider racist is in the White House, "wokeness" is no longer an issue that is suppressing comedians or even politicians from saying or doing whatever they want.

Howie said that half of the country clearly doesn't believe Trump is racist, trying to add that cultural context makes a difference. He said that if "Ricky Gervais lived 100 years ago," owning slaves would make him a "respected aristocrat" instead of a racist.

Marc scoffed and returned, "I think we're coming close to that again."

The conversation, and Howie's apparent defense of Trump, has raised some questions about what political party he aligns with. For the most part, Howie's beliefs seem to align more with the Democratic Party, but this hasn't been confirmed. He's expressed views that sometimes align with both Democratic and Republican talking points.

He joked about not wanting to discuss politics in a TikTok video he posted in 2023. However, in 2024, he hosted Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on his podcast when RFK Jr. was running for president.

In the past, he has argued that political correctness is at risk of ending comedy as we know it, which is more of a Republican talking point. In 2017, after comedian Louis C.K. faced backlash for a film, Howie sat down with The Hollywood Reporter and weighed in on his thoughts about political correctness and how it aligns with comedy.

He shared, "I have friends who are losing sponsorships. Jobs are being taken away. You’re a comedian."

He added, "There used to be a safety net as far as saying, ‘Just joking!’ There’s no such thing as ‘Just joking!’ anymore.”

Yet that same year, Howie released a documentary called On My Way Out: The Secret Life of Nani and Popi, which told the tale of a 95-year-old gay man who finally came out of the closet to his wife of 65 years and their family and friends.

Of the film, Howie mused to THR, "The movie is all about stigma. We can’t just be free. None of us can."

Howie added, "We don’t live in a society where we can say what we’re thinking, where we can be who we are without feeling that we will not be accepted or we will be punished.”

Which makes it perhaps more curious that Howie would say what he did in response to Marc's comments about wokeness and how political correctness is no longer restraining comedians from punching down.