Howie Mandel Admits Paying $25 for Sexual Services While Married for 48 Years

Q: Did a famous germaphobe really pay for illicit massages, or was Howie Mandel's shocking podcast confession just a twisted family joke?

It was most likely a joke, not a verified confession. Mandel did make the remarks on the Aug. 11 episode of his podcast, telling his daughter Jackelyn Shultz and guest Camilla Araujo that he pays “like $25 bucks” for sexual services at massage parlors while still married to Terry Mandel. The exchange went viral because Araujo appeared stunned and Shultz asked whether it counted as cheating. But follow-up reporting strongly undercut the idea that this was a literal admission. Multiple outlets cited Mandel’s representative saying the story was part of his comedy material and noting that Mandel, who is famously germaphobic, has “never even had a massage.” His rep also reportedly sent a tongue-in-cheek photo of Terry Mandel wearing a glove and holding $25, suggesting the family was leaning into the bit rather than disputing a real scandal. That fits Mandel’s public persona and the tone of the podcast, which often mixes awkward family banter, shock humor and stand-up-style riffing. Even in the same episode, he and Shultz traded deliberately provocative lines, including insults that seemed to play as exaggerated family comedy, however jarring they sounded to the guest. So the safest reading is this: Mandel did say it on air, and headlines accurately reflected the quote, but the best available evidence indicates it was a staged comedic bit, not a confirmed account of real illicit massages.

3 articles · Updated · USA TODAY · Aug 17

Howie Mandel, 70, said on his Aug. 11 podcast that he paid about $25 for sexual services at a massage parlor while still married.
The admission came during a discussion of his marriage to Terry Soil, whom he married in 1980, after guest Camilla Araujo realized he was "actively married" and pressed him on whether it counted as cheating.
Jackelyn Shultz, Mandel's daughter and co-host, asked whether her mother would be upset; Mandel replied that she could call her and ask.
The same episode also featured a tense father-daughter exchange in which Mandel called Shultz a vulgar name before both said their relationship has improved and they now get along.