You’ve seen him on America’s Got Talent or maybe you remember him from the days of Deal or No Deal. Howie Mandel is basically a permanent fixture in our living rooms. But while he’s cracking jokes or obsessively avoiding germs, there is one person who has been standing just off-camera for nearly half a century. Is Howie Mandel married? Yeah, he is. And honestly, in a town like Hollywood where marriages usually have the shelf life of a carton of milk, his relationship is kind of a miracle.
Howie has been married to Terry Mandel (formerly Terry Soil) since 1980. That’s 45 years as of 2025. Think about that for a second. Most of the contestants on his shows weren't even born when these two said "I do."
The Deli Proposal and a Quarter for Fries
Their story didn't start at a glitzy red carpet premiere. It started in Toronto. They were just teenagers at the William Lyon Mackenzie Collegiate Institute. Howie tells this story where he first saw her in line at a snack bar at the local YMCA. He was short on cash for french fries—classic Howie—and he borrowed a quarter from her.
He likes to joke that he’s been paying her back ever since.
It wasn't exactly love at first sight for Terry, though. She actually turned him down several times. It took years of persistence before she finally agreed to a date when they were 19. When it finally came time to pop the question, Howie didn't do the whole rose-petals-and-violins thing. He basically sat her down in a deli, put a loose diamond on the table, and said he had to go to the bathroom. He told her if she wanted to make a ring out of it, she should go ahead.
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It's weird. It's unromantic. It's perfectly them.
Why Terry Mandel is the Real MVP
Living with Howie Mandel isn't exactly a walk in the park. He’s been very open about his struggles with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and severe anxiety. We're talking about a man who wouldn't shake hands with people for years before it was "cool" during the pandemic.
Terry is the one who keeps the wheels from falling off.
- The Ultimatum: There was a point where Howie's OCD was so debilitating that it was ruining their lives. Terry eventually gave him an ultimatum: get help or the marriage is over. That was the wake-up call he needed to start therapy and medication.
- The Business Brain: Terry isn't just "the wife." She’s a talent agent and producer. She actually runs The Abstract Talent Agency in Los Angeles with him.
- The Deal Maker: Here’s a fun fact: Howie almost turned down Deal or No Deal. He thought hosting a game show would kill his career as a "serious" comedian. Terry told him to take the deal. Now, he’s one of the highest-paid personalities on TV.
A Family Built on Laughter
The Mandels have three kids: Jackelyn (Jackie), Alex, and Riley.
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Jackie is probably the most recognizable because she co-hosts the Howie Mandel Does Stuff podcast with her dad. They have this chaotic, hilarious energy that only comes from decades of knowing exactly how to annoy each other. Alex followed the family business into comedy and YouTube, while Riley tends to keep a lower profile in the wellness industry.
They're grandparents now, too. Seeing Howie—the guy who used to build guest houses just to avoid sick family members—playing with his grandkids is a pretty huge shift.
The "Secret" to a 45-Year Marriage
Howie gets asked about this all the time. He usually gives some sarcastic answer like, "The secret is that she doesn't understand a word of English," or "I'm always on the road so she doesn't have to look at me."
But when he gets serious, he credits her entirely. He’s mentioned that they eat out almost every night because neither of them likes to cook. They’ve survived terrifying health scares, like a 2024 incident where Terry fell in a hotel room in Las Vegas and suffered a pretty gruesome head injury. Through the blood and the hospital visits, they stayed solid.
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If you’re looking for a blueprint for a long-term relationship, maybe skip the deli proposal, but definitely keep the humor.
How to Apply the Mandel "Method" to Your Life
If you want your own relationship to last through four decades of career changes and personal struggles, take a page out of their book:
- Support the pivot: When your partner has a weird career opportunity (like a game show), be the voice of reason that pushes them toward success.
- Honesty over harmony: Terry’s ultimatum about Howie’s mental health wasn't mean; it was necessary. Sometimes you have to be the "bad guy" to save the person you love.
- Keep it private: Notice how you never see them on trashy reality shows or in messy Twitter feuds? There’s a reason for that.
Keep an eye on Howie’s podcast or his socials; he often shares small, unscripted moments with Terry that show why they’re still together after all this time. You can learn a lot about a couple by how they handle a broken cheekbone in Vegas or a failed birthday surprise involving a literal elephant—yes, he actually rented her an elephant once, and it was a disaster. But they're still here.