Scandoval has birthed a battle among media personalities.
After catching flak from Andy Cohen, Lala Kent and swarms of fans for his controversial interview with “Vanderpump Rules” villain Tom Sandoval, which aired Tuesday, Howie Mandel clapped back.
“I don’t need to do homework. I know who [Sandoval] is. I know what show he’s on,” Mandel insisted to “Extra’s” Billy Bush on Wednesday in response to Cohen claiming the “Howie Mandel Does Stuff” podcast host “didn’t do his homework” ahead of the sit-down.
“It’s very funny to me now watching everybody else — like, I didn’t even know some of the names of the people that are in the show, and I’m getting hit hard for not knowing those names,” Mandel, 67, added.
He reiterated that he “[doesn’t] watch” the Bravo reality show but said he “wanted to give [Sandoval] a place where he can kinda spew his side.”
“He cheated on his girlfriend with her best friend. I still don’t understand why it’s big, international news,” he told Bush.
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Though he doesn’t “condone” Sandoval’s months-long affair with Ariana Madix’s close pal Raquel Leviss, Mandel said he could “commend” the bar owner, 40, “for being vulnerable and removing the stigma for mental health.”
The “Deal or No Deal” host further explained that he never planned to “weaponize” Sandoval’s actions or “challenge him” on the secret dalliance.
“I’m not gonna judge it. I’m not gonna argue with you. I’m not gonna call you out. It’s not a deposition; it’s a podcast,” Mandel shared, noting that he saw the Tom Sandoval & The Most Extras frontman as a “visibly shaken, visibly damaged” “human being.”
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“I probably feel just as bad for the girl he cheated on, the girl he cheated with and everybody who feels like I let them down by not asking the right question,” he added, going on to say that it was “an honor” to be named Cohen’s “jackhole” of the day on Tuesday night’s episode of “Watch What Happens Live.”
“It’s funny because they say that I didn’t do homework? It’s very funny because I’m watching some of the people … talk about what I did, and they have some very funny takes on me,” Mandel told Bush, who pressed him for specifics.
“Lala in her [Instagram] Story … she’s sitting in some hotel room in New York, in the dark, saying that the lighting was bad on my podcast,” he explained. “She’s in the dark! That was her criticism!”
The “America’s Got Talent” judge added that he’s “never felt this kind of vitriol” or “negativity” before, saying his “Twitter feed is a mess of hate” and that he feels as though he’s “on lockdown.”
