As America's Got Talent continues through its live rounds, the competition gets fierce and the judges get pickier about what they want to see. That was certainly the case for Howie Mandel in the August 27 episode of Season 14, as the judge was all but doing a Simon Cowell impression by voicing his displeasure over certain acts, almost too much. Some viewers thought Howie was a bit harsh, and began to go after the judge on Twitter.
Howie Mandel noticed he was getting some flak during the episode for his opinions, and decided to do something about it. While the show was in commercial, the judge recorded a short video begging fans not to be so mean to him and let him judge the competition in peace.
Whether he was actually hurt or just joking around, Howie Mandel felt the need to address the negativity that was being thrown his way on Twitter. Meanwhile the flawless Gabrielle Union is over his shoulder and encouraging Twitter to keep it up after the judge made some comments on acts that many seemed to think a bit harsh.
It wasn't just that Howie Mandel was being harsh to talented America's Got Talent acts, though; it was the act the judge considered to shower an excessive amount of praise for. Mandel hopped on Twitter to make the video not long after his mentions increased with viewers wondering why he was so low on some contestants, but so high on the bizarre tambourine man Gonzo.
A vast majority of the comments criticizing Howie Mandel all revolved around his love for Gonzo, which was devoid of the harsh criticism he delivered to other acts throughout the night. For every comment Mandel made of an act that was slightly critical, there's a tweet of someone on Twitter pointing out he wasn't nearly as harsh with America's Got Talent's tambourine act.
With that being said, the Gonzo incident was really the height of America's Got Talent Twitter piling on Howie Mandel (who does tend to like the more bizarre acts). There's an argument to be made that the judge made some quick enemies at the episode's start when he started ragging on the dog Falco. Howie went against all the judges saying he was unimpressed with Lukas & Falco's routine.
It wasn't the best night on social media for Howie Mandel, who just recently celebrated his decade tenure on America's Got Talent. Some may be hoping that celebration marks the end of an era, though there's still plenty of "#Fandels" out there thrilled that the comedian is still doing the damn thing. In short, don't expect this incident to be the breaking point that drives Mandel away from the show.
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America's Got Talent is on NBC live Tuesdays and Wednesday at 8:00 p.m. ET. Stick with CinemaBlend for updates on the competition and to stay up to date on all things happening in the world of television and movies.
