Author: Mike Vulpo

Howie Mandel will never forget the day he shared his obsessive compulsive disorder diagnosis with the world for the first time.During an appearance on The Howard Stern Show in 1998, Mandel, 69, witnessed somebody touch the exit door’s knobs. What came next was a series of events that would change his life.
“It was my turn to leave and I said, ‘I don’t want to touch the door. Open the door for me,’” Mandel exclusively shared with Us Weekly before kicking off season 20 of America’s Got Talent on Tuesday, May 27. “They wouldn’t open the door. They thought they were being funny and they were. And then I grabbed tissues to open the door.”
While some people witnessing the sequence of events thought it was funny, Mandel believed he was starting to have a panic attack.

“I said, ‘I can’t breathe and you’re going to have to call 911 if you don’t open the door,’” he shared with Us. “I walk out the hall and they’re still talking. And I went, ‘That was on the f***ing air.’ I didn’t know. I thought it was in a commercial. And then I got devastated.”
According to the Mayo Clinic, OCD features a pattern of unwanted thoughts and fears known as obsessions. These obsessions can lead to repetitive behaviors or compulsions, which can have an impact on daily life.
More than 25 years after accidentally sharing his diagnosis with the world, Mandel still remembers the emotions he felt.
While he shares more details in his memoir, Here’s the Deal: Don’t Touch Me, Mandel said he was fearful after leaving the studio.

Howie Mandel, Simon Cowell, Terry Crews, Sofia Vergara and Mel B Cindy Ord/NBC
“My heart sank and I thought, ‘I just embarrassed my family. I’m not going to have a career. Nobody’s going to hire me anymore,’” he said. “I was going to run into traffic here.”
In a quick turn of events, Mandel said a male stranger approached him on a busy New York City street and told the comedian that he was listening to The Howard Stern Show.
Mandel quickly realized he was not alone in his diagnosis.

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“He went, ‘Me too.’ And I went, ‘What? What does that mean?’” Mandel shared. “He goes, ‘I have that too. Thanks for talking about it.’ He helped me.”

Despite his initial fears, Mandel continues to have a successful career in Hollywood. In addition to being a comedian, the best-selling author is returning to judge season 20 of America’s Got Talent with familiar friends like Mel B, Sofia Vergara and Simon Cowell. “I say this every year and I don’t want to be repetitive, but the thing about our show is previous years always inspire,” he told Us. “Somebody sees somebody do something and they go, ‘I can do that faster. I can do that higher. I can do that more.’ … Because we’re celebrating an anniversary, I think people have done things more dangerous, more different, more surprising and more original than I’ve ever seen.”
America’s Got Talent returns to NBC Tuesday, May 27, at 8 p.m. ET. Stream old episodes anytime on Peacock.

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UPDATE — 5/21/25, 6:42 p.m. ET: Are they or aren’t they dating? That’s the question some fans continue to ask after JoJo Siwa shared cozy new photos from her birthday trip with Chris Hughes.“This years birthday week was more magical than anything🤍🪄,” Siwa, 22, wrote via Instagram on Wednesday, May 21. “Full of surprises, family time, performing, chilling, laughing, loving, smiling and good meaningful cries. Absolutely beautiful, wouldn’t change a single thing🤍 a week I’ll remember for the rest of my life.”
One day before, Hughes, 32, raised eyebrows when he shared his own photos of himself cuddling with Siwa.
Original story: 
Chris Hughes and JoJo Siwa’s bond continues to blossom outside the Big Brother house.
After Siwa, 22, celebrated her birthday on Monday, May 19, her fellow Celebrity Big Brother UK houseguest, 32, decided to post a collage of photos with his close friend.
“The previous 7 days have been the prettiest.. 😊💫🎂,” Hughes wrote via Instagram on Tuesday, May 20.
Siwa and Hughes raised eyebrows in the assortment of pictures as they got cozy at the airport after a trip to Universal Orlando Resort’s new theme park, Universal Epic Universe.

Another photo memory included the pair embracing for a hug over a meal, while a third picture captured the duo having fun in a swimming pool. Siwa’s mom, Jessalynn, was even included in one of the shots.

JoJo Siwa and Chris Hughes Courtesy of JoJo Siwa / Instagram
“This has to be a hard launch,” one user wrote in the comments section. Another fan added, “Okay, sooooo now what??? 😍😍😍😍.”
On April 7, Siwa and Hughes entered the Celebrity Big Brother UK house as total strangers. In a matter of days, the pair became dear friends and captivated audiences with their dance parties and close bond.
When the show wrapped later in the month, Siwa was confident her friendship with Hughes would continue — even if cameras stopped rolling.
“We still speak all the time, obviously, naturally,” the Dance Moms alum exclusively shared with Us Weekly for a digital cover story. “Now to be out of the house, we just exist, and it is what it is. We’re happy, and we have each other. It’s a great little special friendship that we have.”

Chris Hughes and JoJo Siwa Courtesy of Chris Hughes / Instagram
In recent weeks, Siwa has maintained that her friendship with Hughes is platonic and is not the cause of her recent breakup with Kath Ebbs. (While on Celebrity Big Brother UK, Siwa identified herself as queer. She and Ebbs split at the show’s wrap party after several months of dating.)

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“I think what’s so special about Chris and I is our bond is so genuine that neither of us care what people make of it because we know our genuine friendship,” Siwa told Us. “We know our bond.”
For the fans who were surprised by Siwa’s latest friendship from reality TV, the former Nickelodeon star said she wasn’t expecting it either. But as she told Us, one can never know when they will find a “friendship soulmate.”
“You can’t explain it. It just is kind of there,” Siwa explained about her bond with Hughes. “I’ve had it in a few different ways and every person that’s come into my life in that way, it’s a different bond. It’s a different relationship.”

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