Television personality Howie Mandel has revealed he almost died while self-medicating with alcohol, prescription drugs, and THC gummies during the height of the 2020 coronavirus pandemic lockdown.
The 70-year-old America's Got Talent judge opened up about managing his mental health during an appearance on Monday's episode of broadcast journalist Hoda Kotb's Joy 101 podcast.
Mandel explained that his lifelong struggle with anxiety and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) left him unprepared for the emotional toll of global health restrictions.
The comedian, who made headlines earlier this month after an awkward moment on his own podcast when he made a crass joke about his sex life to his daughter, acknowledged that his germaphobia intensified his panic during the pandemic.
"I'm sober right now, but during the pandemic, I couldn't sleep because part of my rumination is... I'm a germaphobe, and a pandemic? I live, like, I'm in a pandemic anyhow," Mandel said on the podcast.
"When there's a real one, it was hard for me to handle. It was hard for a lot of people, but I wasn't strong enough to handle it," he continued. "I couldn't sleep, so I started taking gummies to go to sleep."
Pandemic Mental Health Struggles
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder is a chronic psychiatric condition marked by uncontrollable thoughts and repetitive behaviors. Germaphobia, a common manifestation of OCD, causes extreme fear of contamination and germs.
Mandel said that taking marijuana-infused edibles quickly escalated into combining THC gummies with prescription medication, smoking, and drinking alcohol to cope with insomnia.
He admitted that he turned to the substance combination to "escape and make [himself] unconscious" during the prolonged lockdown period.
"I've medicated myself, and I'm talking about prescription medication," Mandel explained. "I'm not self-medicating, though I did that during COVID, and I almost died, so I'm medicated. I'm surrounded by professionals."
The Daily Mail has reached out to Mandel's representatives for further comment regarding his statements.
Self-Medication and Overdose Risk
The escalating drug and alcohol intake severely impacted his physical safety and alarmed his family. Mandel disclosed how the self-medication routine took a dangerous physical toll on his body.
"There were times when my wife couldn't wake me up or she thought she was going to take me to the hospital," he recalled.
His wife, Terry Mandel, 71, became deeply concerned as his substance reliance worsened. The couple have been married since 1980.
Mandel acknowledged that his personality leaves no room for casual substance use. "There's no middle ground with me. I don't smoke or I haven't had a beer, anything [since then]," he said. "I can't do anything in moderation."
Reflecting on that period, he added: "It wasn't healthy, and it wasn't good. It's not an excuse, but it was really bad."
Marriage Ultimatum and Therapy
As his crisis deepened, Terry stepped in with a direct instruction that forced him to seek professional treatment.
Mandel revealed that his wife was the person who "got me to therapy through an ultimatum" when she realized she could no longer manage the situation alone.
"My wife just went, 'I can't do this. This is really tiring. Go talk to somebody,'" Mandel said. "The ultimatum was, 'Try to find some help because I can't do this anymore.'"
He expressed deep gratitude for her intervention, describing her as "like a hero" who saved his life while supporting him through his mental health battles.
"I don't know how she does it," Mandel said, calling Terry "a hero because she put up with it and sent me to therapy."
Today, Mandel manages his condition through proper therapy and prescribed medication overseen by medical professionals. "I'm medicated and I have a lot of therapy," he admitted. "I have such a fear of those lows, because they're incredibly painful and hard to navigate, so my life consists of trying to balance up here and manage the medication."
