Howie Mandel Apologized to Kelly Ripa After a Tense Exchange on the Air

Over her years as a daytime talk show host, Kelly Ripa has dealt with her fair share of minor controversies. During a recent interview with Howie Mandel, though, things got a little testy. Although viewers at home might not have noticed the incident, Howie has clearly been feeling bad about it in the days since the interview aired on March 23.

Howie was feeling so bad, in fact, that he issued a public apology to Kelly on Instagram. Now, many want to better understand exactly what happened between the two of them. Here's what we know.

It all began when Howie refused to accept a compliment about how good he was looking during an interview on Live with Kelly and Mark. During the interview, Howie said that telling someone his age that they "look great" doesn't "mean anything" because it always comes with a "caveat." Essentially, Howie was saying that people are basically saying that Howie, who is 70, looks great for his age.

He also said that it's like saying, "You’re smart for a stupid person.”

For her part, Kelly tried to clarify almost immediately that she had not intended to suggest that Howie only looked great for a 70-year-old. “We’re not saying you look great for 70. We’re saying you look great — and I don’t believe you’re 70,” she said, speaking for both herself and her husband, Mark Consuelos.

Although the on-air kerfuffle might not have seemed like a huge deal, Howie has issued an apology on Instagram.

“I have been debating for 48 hours whether I should make this post or not. And I don't know if I'm doing the right thing, philosophically,” Howie said at the beginning of the video.

“I don't believe that somebody … who's a comedian needs to apologize for a joke. It is a joke. It is meant as a joke, and it's not meant to offend … In all my years, 50 years in the business, I haven't ever publicly kind of apologized for [a joke]. It’s hard for me,” he continued, suggesting that he was joking during the initial exchange. “But this is for Kelly Ripa, who, in the past, has been incredibly supportive."

"Not only have I been a guest on her show, but I have co-hosted with her, and I've known her for years … When I go out there, I just try to be entertaining and funny, and sometimes, as a comedian, things don't land the way you mean them to land,” he continued. “And I don't know how to say this, but not only do I want to say I'm sorry to Kelly, but — and this is the hardest part — you’re right. You're absolutely right. And I'm sorry I didn't see it that way."

“But after a lot of thought and self-reflection, I do look great for my age! I really do … I look fantastic, and I just have to embrace the fact that I look this good,” he said, smiling. It was a sincere apology, but one that boosted his ego too.