Howie Mandel and Nick Cannon had a small America's Got Talent reunion when the judge surprised the host after being unmasked as The Rock Lobster on The Masked Singer. Cannon wasn't surprised to see Mandel unmasked, because he had guessed the comedian before his elimination. However, he might have been a bit shocked by the hug he received from the comedian and the great zinger Mandel made at the father of twelve's expense. Seeing Mandel hug the host was surprising to viewers too because he's a well-known germaphobe, however, once he explained why he loved his costume so much, this amusing interaction made a lot more sense.
I had the honor of speaking to Howie Mandel shortly after his elimination and nice interaction on The Masked Singer. When I brought up the hug he gave to Nick Cannon, Mandel explained why he not only embraced the host but also why he cracked a joke at his friend's expense:
Yeah, you know, I miss him, and I love Nick. I was surprised that I did that too. The results aren’t in, but I got a pregnancy test this morning. So we’ll find out.
While it was hilarious to see Mandel poke fun at his former AGT co-star, in all seriousness, it was cool to see him embrace Cannon, especially after all the drama that led to the former host's exit.
Howie Mandel and Nick Cannon worked together on America's Got Talent for many years, but that ended when Cannon quit the show in 2017 after alleging that NBC threatened to fire him for a joke he made at the network's expense. Mandel actually spoke out about the incident shortly after and mentioned on The View how it pained him to see his friend leave. America's Got Talent currently has Terry Crews handling the hosting duties for the ongoing talent series, while Cannon moved on to The Masked Singer.
As previously mentioned, Howie Mandel is famously germaphobic, and he doesn't like to touch people. Surprisingly though, The Masked Singer contestant revealed he loved suiting up as The Rock Lobster because it justified him having a barrier that kept the germs away:
Fantastic, it was fantastic. The more removed I feel from reality–I am a germaphobe, so the fact that they made it impossible for me to touch anything, anybody, and the fact that I was wearing this helmet which was in the shape of a lobster…it was so comforting. It’s the most comfortable I have been in public.
So, if anyone is out and about over the next few months and sees a man strolling around in a lobster costume, it might be Howie Mandel, because he really loved that outfit. It's great to hear that, unlike past celebrities, he actually didn't mind the costume, and he was perfectly comfortable performing ABBA's "S.O.S." while wearing it. I can't really say it made the performance any better, but Mandel didn't appear to be taking the singing part as seriously as others during the episode. At least now he may know what it feels like to get buzzed off the stage on America's Got Talent.
The Masked Singer airs new episodes on Fox every Wednesday at 8:00 p.m. ET. It's one of many returning shows hitting the 2023 TV schedule, so continue to check out the rundown of new shows that are coming back to the small screen in the coming months.
