We'll Do It LIVE! — Howie Mandel

Summary

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Podcast Summary: Bill O’Reilly’s No Spin News and Analysis

Episode: We'll Do It LIVE! — Howie Mandel
Date: April 9, 2026
Host: Bill O’Reilly
Guest: Howie Mandel

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Episode Overview

In this engaging episode, Bill O'Reilly sits down with comedian, television host, and actor Howie Mandel for an unscripted, wide-ranging conversation that touches on comedy, show business, mental health, family, and generational change. Both host and guest share personal anecdotes and industry insights, balancing humor with introspection as they discuss everything from Mandel’s Canadian roots to the changing landscape of late-night television and social media's impact on celebrity culture.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Legacy of "We'll Do It Live" and Mutual Mockery

• Bill acknowledges the podcast's self-deprecating title and the jest that surrounds it, setting a playful tone (00:06–02:08).
• O'Reilly: “Every week I have to mock myself. And I’m going, why am I doing this?” (00:14)
• Howie enjoys the banter, referencing Bill’s own reluctance and self-mockery: “Your mechanics of not getting anybody to look up ‘We’ll Do It Live.’” (01:13)

2. Parent-Child Generational Dynamics and Respect

• Howie reflects on podcasting with his liberal daughter Jacqueline, who brings both smart questions and an impassive demeanor (“arresting bitch face,” as Mandel jokes—03:47).
• Both agree on the importance of open, respectful dialogue, especially within families with differing views.
• Mandel: “You cannot, you have to earn disrespect. We come into whatever the issue is with respect.” (04:03–05:12)

3. Show Business as a Microcosm and Hollywood Perceptions

• The duo explores the tension between politics and show business, discussing whether conservatives are truly “canceled” in Hollywood (06:05–07:16).
• Mandel: “Show business is just a microcosm of humanity... people outside of show business have this gravitas, respect for somebody who pretended to be something. It’s just pretending.” (05:21)
• Anecdote: O’Reilly recounts an edgy encounter with Chelsea Handler in an LA restaurant (07:16–08:53).

4. The Canadian Factor: Humor, Talent, and Upbringing

• Mandel ruminates on the disproportionate number of Canadian talents in entertainment and music.
• Mandel: “For such a... tenth the population of America, we probably have the highest rate of talent. There must be something in our water.” (09:51–11:02)
• Contrasts Toronto childhood with raising kids in LA, emphasizing differences in drive, privilege, and culture (13:24–16:47).

5. Howie’s Children: Upbringing, Work Ethic, and Success

• Each Mandel child has built a different path—one is a teacher in underprivileged LA areas, another runs Mandel's company and produces podcasts, the third is a physiotherapist.
• Mandel: “They see things that I never got to see in Toronto as a kid... but they all earn their own livings. They work very hard, they invest their money.” (14:37)

6. Unique Podcast Format and Mental Health Advocacy

• Howie shares about making his podcast studio a creative, collaborative space—especially welcoming a live band, “Sonny and the Black Pack.” (17:27–18:34)
• Discusses his openness about OCD and mental health, and how the creative process and new media help him cope.

7. Stand-up Comedy: Joy, Process, and Darkness

• Howie’s love for stand-up remains undiminished. He emphasizes the thrill and risk of live performance.
• Mandel: “I love stand-up comedy... comedy for me, and I believe... all comedy comes from darkness.” (21:15–22:40)
• On joke-writing: Mandel notes he writes down ideas and riffs on them on stage; inspired by Richard Pryor's authenticity (20:58).
• Memorable Quote: “A sense of humor is to find that sensibility in the darkest place. All comedy comes from darkness. All of it.” (21:58–22:40)

8. The Discipline of Linear TV vs. Social/Podcasting Media

• O’Reilly and Mandel discuss how traditional TV, like AGT or Canada’s Got Talent, differs from the freedom and spontaneity of podcasts and social media (18:34–20:22).
• Mandel: “Linear television is ad supported television. I also know I have the responsibility to be responsible... because there are people like Ford and McDonald and all these people supporting it.” (19:15)

9. Late-Night TV: Johnny Carson, Letterman, Leno, and Stewart

• The duo recalls the old late-night world—Mandel details the respect comedians needed from Carson, Letterman’s “prince of darkness” persona vs. Leno’s friendliness (25:34–32:01).
• O’Reilly: “If I had faltered on Letterman, he would not have saved me. Leno would save you... Letterman would not.” (32:18)
• Mandel: “[Letterman] is not a social butterfly... But you got him. That room was cold because... when you’re up and cold, you’re going to laugh. It makes for a better audience response.” (29:15)

10. Authenticity, Curiosity, and Staying Current

• Howie values curiosity and adaptability—being digitally literate and culturally aware have become survival skills in entertainment (37:26–39:35).
• Mandel: “Curiosity is our fuel. What drives me is curiosity... Culture moves on. I just want to understand why you think this is funny.” (37:26; 38:26)
• Both men reflect on how social media has changed how fans connect to public figures.

11. Therapy, Coping, and Anger

• Mandel is candid about regularly seeing a therapist to cope with OCD and life’s challenges, emphasizing mental maintenance (43:00–44:16).
• Mandel: “I always say that we need to take care of our mental health the way we take care of our dental health.” (43:45)
• On anger: Mandel admits it’s his “arresting emotion” and that he copes by staying busy and focusing on the present. (45:27–46:18)
• Lighthearted Quote:
  • O’Reilly: “I have an excuse. I’m Irish.”
  • Mandel: “I have an excuse. I’m an idiot.” (46:29–46:33)

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• Howie Mandel:
  • “Comedy is just looking at something incredibly dramatic from another way.” (22:40–23:12)
  • “Everything I’ve ever been punished for, expelled for, gotten in trouble for is what I seem to get paid for.” (13:24–14:37)
• Bill O’Reilly:
  • “If you don’t know what ‘We’ll Do It Live’ is, just Google O’Reilly and ‘We’ll Do It Live’ and it will pop up. Now, I don’t recommend you do that.” (00:24)
• On family and respect:
  • Mandel: “You have to earn disrespect. I think we come into whatever the issue is with respect.” (05:00)
• On late night television culture:
  • O’Reilly: “Now the late night won’t book anybody that doesn’t hate Trump.” (28:41)
  • Mandel: “Letterman is not a social butterfly... but you got him. I think that’s... what people are glomming on to you. You’re authentic.” (29:15)

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Timestamps of Key Segments

• 00:06–02:08 – Opening banter; Bill on podcast title origin; Mandel’s reaction
• 03:22–05:12 – Discussion of generational and political differences with Mandel’s daughter
• 06:05–07:16 – Is Hollywood as politically intolerant as rumored?
• 09:51–11:02 – Mendel analyzes why Canada produces so many entertainers
• 13:24–16:47 – Howie contrasts his Toronto upbringing with his children’s LA experience
• 17:27–18:34 – The making of Mandel’s podcast, live band addition, and coping during COVID
• 19:15–20:22 – The discipline of linear TV and joy of stand-up
• 21:58–22:40 – “All comedy comes from darkness...”
• 25:34–32:01 – Carson/Letterman/Leno/Stewart experiences and influence
• 37:26–39:35 – On curiosity, staying current, discovering new forms of comedy online
• 43:00–44:16 – Mandel’s experience with therapy and acceptance of mental health care
• 45:27–46:33 – Admission of frustration and anger, with laughter
• 47:51–48:07 – Closing gratitude and sign-off

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Tone & Atmosphere

The tone of the episode is warm, humorous, and self-effacing, with both O’Reilly and Mandel comfortable poking fun at themselves and each other. There is mutual respect, candid discussion of personal and professional vulnerabilities, and a shared appreciation for authenticity and curiosity as lifelong engines for creativity and connection.

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End of summary.

Transcript

[Howie Mandel]

Foreign.

[Bill O'Reilly]

Here. Welcome to another edition of We'll Do It Live. And I just want to remind everybody that I did not want to do this podcast or long form, whatever you want to hear it, because it's basically the title of it. We'll Do It Live mocks me. So every week I have to mock myself. And I'm going, why am I doing this? So if you don't know what, We'll Do It Live is just Google O'Reilly, and we'll do it live, and it will pop up. Now, I don't rec. I don't recommend you do that. Okay. You probably be a better person if you don't do it, but that is what this is named. We're very pleased to have the very talented Howie Mandel coming up.

[Howie Mandel]

Thank you.

[Bill O'Reilly]

Coming to us from his lair in Los Angeles, California, where I was a few months ago doing his podcast. So how he decided to return the favor. Now, you know I'm a huge fan

[Howie Mandel]

of yours, Bill, and number one, I'm already enjoying the. Your mechanics of not getting anybody to look up. We'll Do It Live.

[Bill O'Reilly]

Right.

[Howie Mandel]

You know, which it was part of. It's the closing of the podcast you did with me.

[Bill O'Reilly]

It's epic.

[Howie Mandel]

It's not missive. It's. It's. And I love the fact that you celebrate that moment, which is probably in the moment, not one of the tiny moments.

[Bill O'Reilly]

Right. But I don't know if celebrates the right word. It was like my younger staff said, we have to do this, but I want to alert everybody that the podcast is going to go downhill from here. So the high point has been reached in the intro, and now we're going to descend into what a gracious host you are.

[Howie Mandel]

I just joined you, and now you're touting the fact that this is going downhill.

[Bill O'Reilly]

Yeah. It's going to be disaster. Yes. So I want to tell people two things about you. The first thing is that Mandel makes me laugh. And I'm not exactly a historical guy, Right. But there's something about him that makes me laugh. I paid good money to see Howie Mandela at the Westbury Music Fair in my hometown. Okay. And I drag along a date, and I said to her, look. She goes, what is this, a talent show or something? I said, no, no, no. This guy is just. He just gets. And it's true. And then Howie was nice enough to allow me in the dressing room for 38 seconds. He had a stopwatch, and we just said, commiserated there. And then when I went on Mandel's podcast. I was surprised a bit because a very successful podcast, Howie Mandel does stuff. And people don't know this, but you spent tens of thousands of dollars getting that title, right? Howie Mandel does stuff. Then you.

[Howie Mandel]

I didn't have Howie Mandel secured.

[Bill O'Reilly]

Okay. So his daughter is on a podcast. Jacqueline. She is a liberal woman. And I saw on a few occasions when she was questioning me and they were all very smart questions that she's a little disdain there. She was a little like, that's.

[Howie Mandel]

He gets. I don't know how what the language barrier is on this broadcast, but she is accused of having a arresting bitch face, which is just, you know, it's genetic. Her mother has the exact same face. So I don't know that it's disdain as much as it's just that expression.

[Bill O'Reilly]

Okay. But she, she, I think looks upon me as millions of people around the world do. It's kind of a Neanderthal. Would you, would you see that?

[Howie Mandel]

I mean, I do think that she thinks that you're of a different thought than her or a different mind than her. And she loves to discuss it. And I know for a fact that she enjoyed your appearance. Does she agree with you?

[Bill O'Reilly]

No.

[Howie Mandel]

Does she want to talk to you? Yes, we are. And I shouldn't speak for her, but because she's an adult and she is lean liberal. But to that end, she is open to hearing from everybody. Our whole family is. And the one thing that I have taught my children, as was taught to me, is respect and just respect for everything and anybody. You cannot, you have to earn disrespect. I think I. We come into whatever the issue is with respect.

[Bill O'Reilly]

And do you see that philosophy as prevalent in the show business industry?

[Howie Mandel]

Well, you know, it's very funny because people will talk about prevalence in show business. Show business is just, it's a microcosm of humanity. People who are in show business happen to be. And you are in show business happen to be recorded and projected out there. And where if you're Joe or Dave or Lisa that works in the bank, you aren't. I find it really funny that people in that, not the people in show business, but the people outside of show business have this gravitas, respect for somebody who pretended to be something. You know, it's just pretending. It's not that big a deal to pretend.

[Bill O'Reilly]

But there are people and you know, them who say, look, if I say good things about Donald Trump, I'm not going to work. I'm going to lose jobs. And people will scorn Me, I won't get invitations to the Hollywood Hills cocktail parties. So I'm not going to say anything.

[Howie Mandel]

I don't know that that's true as much as what's true is if you get into the. It's not somebody saying something positive about the other side. I think it's when the rhetoric has gotten beyond complimentary compliments or even something positive or negative, the rhetoric become it's rhetoric. It's not. It's not positive or negative. It's, you know, you're an idiot. You're, you know, a racist. You're. Now it become. It becomes name calling. Or if you are kind of framing somebody who thinks different than you in this negative frame, then they don't want to work, they don't want to spend time with you. So I don't know that you're going to lose jobs because you're. I think there's Republicans and right wing people doing very well in this.

[Bill O'Reilly]

All right. But there is a perception out there. Now, I was in a restaurant off Melrose a few years ago and Chelsea Handler walked in. You know her, right? Chelsea? Yeah. Okay. LIVELY LAUGHS Would you agree?

[Howie Mandel]

LIVELY LAUGHS yeah, That's a word that hasn't been uttered. Or two words that haven't been uttered since the late 50s, Bill.

[Bill O'Reilly]

I'm a Renaissance guy. So anyway, I'm sitting there.

[Howie Mandel]

Not on a dating app, are you? Because do you look for lively glasses?

[Bill O'Reilly]

No, I'm just trying to set the scene. So I'm sitting there eating my tofu on Melrose Avenue and she walks over to the table. There were a few other people with me. And she goes, you're not allowed to be here in la. So I said, all right, check please. You know, we'll leave immediately. But there was an edge there that. Oh, boy. And that's what I was talking about. So that they don't think this is

[Howie Mandel]

trying to be funny.

[Bill O'Reilly]

I don't know her well enough. Maybe.

[Howie Mandel]

I'll tell you, she's a comedian and she's smart and she's outrageous and she's outspoken and that seems on brand for her. Is she really perturbed that you are sitting eating tofu on Melrose? I doubt it. I doubt it affected her for one brief moment.

[Bill O'Reilly]

I think she just wanted to give me a hard time. Now, you were born in Toronto, Canada, and raised as a Canadian, correct?

[Howie Mandel]

Yes, I am.

[Bill O'Reilly]

Did you have skates on when you were 4? And you with the little hockey stick, did you do that? I mean, we doing that?

[Howie Mandel]

No, we were. I was at A young age. I was sent out in the forest to retrieve maple syrup from the. That's what they do with their children. They're young and the youngins are sent to work and I had to draw SAP, maple SAP from the maple trees.

[Bill O'Reilly]

In southern Canada. There's a lot of funny. Akroyd comes out of there, Lorne Michaels comes out of there, a bunch of the SNL people and you and all of this. So is it, is it just the region that produces this humor or are you just so, so happy you don't live in Nova Scotia that you're making

[Howie Mandel]

jokes all the time now you're making fun of the country? I will tell you that it is even fascinating to me that so many people, so many people that I am fans of in front of and behind the came camera come from Canada. Per capita, we probably have the highest rate of talent and whether that is even in music, you know, from Celine Dion to Drake to, you know, so many others, to film directors Norman Jewison and, and writers and, and comedians and just producers like Lorne Michaels for such a, you know, we have a tenth the population of all of America. You guys have 300, we have three. I live here. 330 million people. We have 30 million people. And most of that population is in like three little ponds of population. And that would be southern Ontario, like Toronto in Quebec around Montreal and then on the west coast around Vancouver and so many. That's where Michael Buble comes from. So much talent in such a small area is. There must be something in our, in our water. I don't know what it is.

[Bill O'Reilly]

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[Howie Mandel]

And I, I said my wife and I, my wife's also from Toronto. I've been married for 46 years to the same woman and world her, I'm talking about my daughter's world, my son's world, and my other daughter, I have three children, is so vastly different. Well, first of all, when we first moved here and I don't know if it's LA as much as it's America, this was somewhat of a culture shock. You know, just the American way is a very different culture. And it was a culture that I adhered to that I love. It's that go get it kind of, you know, Canada is a beautiful place to live and a beautiful, safe, wonderful, giving environment. And here it is like, it feels like, and there's nothing wrong with this. And that's what I liked about it. And this is what I got my career about. But it is every man for themselves, you know, and it's that go get it attitude and you can have a dream and make that dream come true. That's what AGT is about. And I did, you know, I'm, I'm everything I've ever been punished for, expelled for, gotten in trouble for is what I seem to get paid for. And, and I turned what was considered a, you know, a behavioral problem into my own little industry.

[Bill O'Reilly]

So.

[Howie Mandel]

But my kids, you know, they went, they went to public school and my, both my wife and I, we come from, you know, I grew up in an apartment and shared a room with my brother. They didn't, they were lower middle class. And I've tried to instill into my kids the importance and the gratitude of all hard work and respect. And they've all done that. You know, I told you the daughter that you met spent every day driving out to, you know, Crenshaw and Watts and East L. A, which are really kind of underserved areas in. In la, and she taught and was in those schools where there was violence and corruption and, you know, so they did that. My. My son, who actually runs my company, and not because I gave him a job, it's not nepotism. It' nepotism that he hired me. He does one. I'm one of maybe 30 different podcasts that he produces that have nothing to do with me. And he built this building that you see, he wired, he. He was a YouTuber and made a fortune by himself as a YouTuber as a kid. And then realized he is, you know, he kind of gleaned that entrepreneurial spirit that I have. I'm. I'm much more entrepreneurial than I am creative. And my other daughter, who doesn't ever want to be on camera, doesn't even want her picture taken. It was hard to talk her into being in her wedding album, is a physiotherapist. So I think they're. They see things that I never got to see in Toronto as a kid. I mean, they're obviously much more privileged and we get to do things. And I feel like nobody's more excited and feels surprised and blessed by what this has afforded me to do for me and my family, but they all earn their own livings. They work very hard, they invest their money, they have their own little. They'll buy a property and then rent it out and build their own little world. And I'm very proud of them. And they don't act like anything is coming to them, but I am vastly aware that this is not the world that I grew up in, that's for sure.

[Bill O'Reilly]

But I'm giving all the credit to your wife for the kids turning out well. So I'm going to Mandel Studio at a place called Van Nuys, which is north of la. And we had never been to the studio before. And we walk into the studio and it's very elaborate, so your son done a very good job with it. But there's actually a band in this studio of human beings, five or six of them, and they write a song while the guest, which was me, was talking to Mandel. And then after the podcast over, they sing this song. It was great.

[Howie Mandel]

I. During COVID and, you know, I've been very open about my mental health and OCD and my germaphobia, but. And. And I'M not crying a river. But OCD was really hard for me. I almost went overboard. And one of the my little panaceas was I was on TikTok and listening to live streams and I heard this Sonny in the Black Pack, they would play. He's got a beautiful voice and they're great. And they would live stream for hours. And I DM them and I just said to them, hey, listen, I'm a huge fan. I'm a huge fan.

[Bill O'Reilly]

Where are you?

[Howie Mandel]

That turned out to be in Northern California. They were in San Francisco. And I said, if you ever think of coming to LA and you need a space, you, you know, I have space here. You know, I have, I'm, I'm based in a warehouse. I spend my day in a warehouse. That's where I am right now. And you could, you know, whatever you're doing, you could do it from here. And maybe because you're in la, there are connections you could, you could make and people you can, and you can do content, you know, they can, you'll meet Bill O'Reilly, you can sing a song about them and they move down. And now Sunny and the Black Pack are my house band.

[Bill O'Reilly]

It's unique. I've never seen it before. It was very, very impressive. Now, on linear tv, that requires a different discipline than social media and the podcast world. So you do America's Got Talent, you do Canada's Got Talent. And I went, are we talking hockey here? But it was wise guy remark. But a linear situation is different because you, you know, you got to hit the, the brakes. You got to do this, you got to do that. The shows that you do, are they fun to do or is it going to work?

[Howie Mandel]

Well, listen, I am. Nobody's more thrilled and, and excited and blown away by the fact that I'm invited to the party. This is even fun sitting and talking to you. You're somebody that I watch that I've fanboy on and then I get to sit and talk to you and you're interested in asking me a question. Is amazing. So everything I do, I have joy for, a joy for. My most exciting thing that is not work and nothing stands in the way is stand up comedy. I love standup comedy. And I still tour. I do, you know, well, three times a week I drop in at the Comedy Store, the Laugh Factory or the Improv. And any given night, Chappelle and Leno and everybody who's anybody is up there, Sebastian. And we just write. And they're now in the clubs. They lock away your Phones so they can't be recorded and they can't be repeated. And that's the fun. But, you know, linear television is ad supported television. And I also know that I have the responsibility to be responsible because there are people like Ford and McDonald and all these people supporting it.

[Bill O'Reilly]

How do you, when you say you love stand up, many, many stand up comics are dark people, you know that I'm sure. I mean, they're funny and they have unbelievable wit and talent, but off camera, they're kind of morose. And it's not an easy industry. It isn't, because you've got to make these people react to you. So number one, do you write everything down when it comes into your mind that that's pretty funny, an observation, do you write it down or is it just stream of consciousness?

[Howie Mandel]

I will write down during the day. I write down if there's something that I think is a tidbit that I can expound upon. I don't write word for word. I'm not as disciplined as Jerry Seinfeld, who is a wordsmith and brilliant at it. I just have an idea and then in front of the audience, I will go, like tonight I'll be at the improv and the Comedy Store. And so I'll go and try something that I wrote down. And I didn't write the jokes, I just wrote on. There's a funny area and I'll do it there. And then I'll drive over to the Comedy Store at the Improv and then I'll drive over the Comedy Store and I'll do it again there. And then tomorrow night I'll do it again and then you can hone these moments and then maybe create a piece. I watched the most seminal moment I had in one learning or being inspired by this was when I moved out here in 78. I watched Richard Pryor every night go on stage at the Comedy Store and home together. Came live on the Sunset Strip. And he was a guy who showed up every night and it was brilliant to watch. And I don't think some of the biggest comics today you would even know if it wasn't for him. He was the first kind of symbol of authenticity, you know. And you talk about all these people being dark and morose. You know, I have a hard time with my mental health. I have a really good life, but I have a hard time. But you know, that comedy for me, and I believe, you know, having a sense of humor is not the ability to tell a joke or to laugh at a joke. A sense of Humor is to find that sensibility in the darkest place. All comedy comes from darkness. All of it.

[Bill O'Reilly]

Yeah.

[Howie Mandel]

If you laugh at a clown falling down the circus, what are you laughing at? You're laughing at a stranger's misfortune. If you're telling a joke and two guys walk into a bar, it's not a joke unless something embarrassing, awkward or horrible happens to one of them. That's the joke. That's where. That's what a joke is. And if you look at the two map masks of theater, you know, comedy and drama, they're very close. There's, there, there's such a thin line between drama and comedy. In fact, comedy is just looking at something incredibly dramatic from another way.

[Bill O'Reilly]

When it doesn't go well, that's the toughest time for a comic. But you have a Persona where you kind of just roll along and, you

[Howie Mandel]

know, that's the Persona you see the tough time. I, I've always used the analogy for me, for stand up. I, I love thrill rides. You know, I love roller coasters. And if you look at what a roller coaster is, you know, the higher you go, the f. The closer to being dangerous or being killed, the better it is. I mean, if you went, if you like, and you just went on a, you know, a little straight track that never went up or down a hill, you'd be bored. But your adrenaline is going when you're being dropped 19 stories. By the same token, in those moments when it doesn't work and your adrenaline is running and there's thousands of people who you've never met looking at you going, well, what's, what's happening. That adrenaline, that excitement, that ability to try and reel them back and get a laugh or get them to, you know, appreciate the moment is the joy, the thrill and the excitement that makes me feel alive, you know.

[Bill O'Reilly]

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[Howie Mandel]

Yeah, he made that his thing. He would always come out and saying, this is a good audience, the audience last night, you know, and he would talk about the audience. Carson was also the litmus test in my generation of being considered by the public to even be a comedian. You know, when I, when I came out here and started and did a couple of shows, television shows and specials, if somebody didn't recognize me in the street and they'd come up and they'd say, what do you do? And I'd say, well, I'm a stand up comedian. The average person would go, well, have you ever been on, have you ever been on Johnny? And that was their litmus test at that time. If you had been on Johnny, then, even if I didn't see you, wow, you must be a professional comedian if you didn't do Johnny. You were nothing in anybody's eyes.

[Bill O'Reilly]

You and I have something in common. David letterman. So in 79, you did very well on Letterman.

[Howie Mandel]

I opened for him a couple of times and you know, when I came to the Comedy Store, he was the, he was the emcee in 78 and 77 at the comedy Store. He had just moved out here from being a weatherman someplace in Indiana or Indianapolis, I don't know where he was a weatherman. So I was there like when he started and to watch all these guys. We were all these young, you know, dreamers just who were, you know, kind of mischievous little kids who found this clubhouse where all these like minded people, some semi like minded people were, you know, got together and had fun. It was like the wild west of, and it was the comedy boom of the 80s actually. I did well on Letterman. But you know, for years and years and years, you know, in the, in the world of comedy, the, the toughest crowd are fellow comedians and the meanest crowd to other comedians are comedians. And because when I started out I used to use a lot of, I was just this hyper guy that had a, a ton of props. And this is before, you know, people would make fun of Carrot Top, who I think is actually brilliant and has the ability to hold an audience and his own room in Vegas all these years. And he designed, not only does he write whatever he's verbalizing, but he has to design and engineer these great little props. But I had props. This is before he even started. And I was a joke amongst the comedians. You know, people loved brilliant wordsmiths like your friend Dennis Miller and other people and monologists and part of Letterman's top 10 list. Sometimes I was mentioned as the joke. They go, and we'll make them go to a Howie Mandela. You know, that hurt me because you want your fellow.

[Bill O'Reilly]

Yeah. You want that prestige from, from the guys. I. Here's what. And you can react to this. So I was on Letterman 16 times and it was a different era. Now the late night won't book anybody that doesn't hate Trump. So if you want to be on late night television, you got to hate Trump. And we've documented that here. And it's, it's really too bad, but that's how it's descended. When I was on Letterman, he's not like Leno. Leno would come into the dressing room, he'd give you a little basket of fruit, a sweatshirt, you know, whatever it may be. And it was lighter. Letterman was a prince of darkness. Venue studio was 14 below zero. You had to wear earmuffs to go on there. He didn't visit anybody before the show. It was, where's Dave? You know, the crew is a little, you know, you don't want to try. I like that because I'm a dark person.

[Howie Mandel]

I like, I love Letterman. I love the show and I love David. And I will tell you this, you know, you, both of them are authentically who they are. David Letterman is not a social butterfly, you know, and when you went on Letterman, you got Letterman, you got him. I think that's. Oh, you. I, I would think I don't know you that well, but I think that's what people are glomming on to you. You're authentic. I don't think I'm talking to a character. When you watch Letterman, you're not talking to a character. That room was, was cold because there's, there is a, a thought in this industry, especially when laughter is what you're kind of aiming for, that, you know, if people are hot or it's warm with all those lights, they get lethargic and you don't get the same laughs. But when you're sitting there and, and you're up and you're kind of cold, you're gonna, you're gonna laugh. It makes for a better audience response.

[Bill O'Reilly]

And he did, he liked the environment to be cool itself. But the thing about Letterman was that a lot of people are intimidated guests. I've seen the biggest people go on there and you can tell if you're in the industry as you and I am are, they're intimidated by Letterman. I went in there and nobody intimidates me, ever. If you were raised by my father, nobody would ever intimidate you again. I mean, a tough Irish family, you

[Howie Mandel]

have that same element. You don't think you're intimidated sometimes? No, not sometimes. Just by virtue of who you are and how you. But, you know, this character that you've projected and. And I think you projected pretty authentically who you are. I've talked to you off camera, too, you and David Letterman. If you ever talk to him off camera, and he is who he is.

[Bill O'Reilly]

Oh, there's no doubt, no doubt. But what he responded to with me, because we're opposites as far as how we see the world. He's a very liberal man, and I'm a traditional man. I'm not. Conservative doctrine. That's a big mistake. I'm traditional. But he tested me. Letterman tested me, all right. He called me a thug one time. You know, he was. He's like. And I would just look at him in the eye, always in the eye, and I would go, you want to back that up? And I threw it right back at him. The more I did that, the more respect he had for me. You don't get booked 16 times on a show like Letterman unless the guy, you know, because he doesn't care that much about ratings, he'd rather do the stupid pet tricks, but he'd rather do a real conversation.

[Howie Mandel]

He's a smart guy that wants to.

[Bill O'Reilly]

No doubt about that. But Leno did that, too. And my dynamic with Jon Stewart was totally different. With Stewart, it was like, okay, who's going to out mock the other? But with Letterman, it wasn't. If I had faltered. Mandel, this is important. If I had faltered on Letterman, he would not have saved me. On my show, if you falter, I'll save you. Unless I think you're the scum of the earth.

[Howie Mandel]

Are you saving me right now?

[Bill O'Reilly]

No, you. You're. You can handle me easy, but you're a pro. Okay? So what Letterman was getting was he was getting a news guy, a journalist to come on into a comedy show, essentially. And his view of life was different. Well, he was going to test me to see if I could swim. And if I sunk, I was going to drown. And I knew it. Leno would save you. Leno would save you. If you were bombing or anything like this, Leno would come on in and kind of just take it over Carson. I didn't know I'VE never on that was before me. But of, of all the shows I did, Stewart and Letterman were the most stimulating for me because it was a joust. It was back and forth.

[Howie Mandel]

It was a joust because it's a real conversation. You know, Carson and Leno and I'm not beginning. They're great at what they do, you know, but 99.9% of the people, people that you book on a late night talk show are there to promote whatever it is they're going to promote their movie, their TV show. You know for a fact that there's a pre interview. So the, in the pre yen you have these six minute segments. In six minutes you have to plug your show. A producer has asked you for a really funny, interesting story and they want to know what the, the outline is so that the, you know, what is your punch out? Like what's the end of that story? So the host knows that that is what the story you're going to tell. Unlike, you know, I can't tell you how many times you watched Letterman and just he would pick up the card, he wouldn't even look at the card. He would rip it, he'd throw it away and he just wanted to talk. But not a lot of people can do that. You're, you're one of few. I like doing that. There was no pre interview with this. I didn't, I don't, didn't know what you were going to talk about. It's a real conversation. Whether it's interesting or not, I don't know. But it's a real, I'm enjoying just sitting down. We might as well just go out and have a sandwich and have this conversation. Letterman, there's very few people that were willing to do that or could do that or wanted to do that. They had to come up with a show every day. They have four guests. They were forced to watch a movie or a TV show they don't even care about or read a book they have no interest in and they have to ask this set of questions. The publicist would. I know for a fact I did a talk show in the 90s. I'll never forget my, my first guest was Jennifer Aniston and the, at the time she was dating Brad Pitt. And the publicist came to me and went, you know, what are you going to ask? She went over to the publicist, went over all the questions and said, you cannot mention Brad Pitt. You can't. And if you do, you're never going to book another one of my clients. And they Ended up cutting and stopping tape. Because my first question is, you know, did you ever. Did you ever see the River Runs Through It? Isn't that a good movie? I didn't ask, I didn't mention his name. But then they went cut and then. The publicists hold all the power in the talk show business.

[Bill O'Reilly]

Let's face it, the US economy is under stress. National debt rising, trade war shaking the markets. And meanwhile, China is dumping the dollar and stockpiling gold. That's why I protected my savings with physical gold and silver through the only dealer I trust, American Hartford Gold. And you can do this. Get precious metals delivered to your door or place in a tax Advantage Gold IRA. They'll even help you roll over your existing IRA or 401k tax and penalty free with billions in precious metals delivered. Thousands of 5 star reviews and an A from the Better Business Bureau. You can trust American Hartford Gold as I do. Please call 866-501-5201 or text BILL to 65532. Again, that's 866-501-5201 or text BILL to 65532. See, I think you would be. If Late Night wants to resurge, they should hire you because you're curious about stuff. That to me, you gotta be funny and you've gotta have talent and you gotta be relaxed out there and you gotta be able to relate to the people watching you. But it's the curiosity that really makes the talk show.

[Howie Mandel]

I think the reason people, the reason at our age, we're still, you know, I don't know if people come up to you and go, why don't you retire? You know, you're running all the time.

[Bill O'Reilly]

And they demand it. They don't, they don't. They don't ask, they demand I retire. And they say, we'll do a GoFundMe if you retire. I mean, so they want you to retire. But.

[Howie Mandel]

But the truth of the matter is what drives me is curiosity. You know, curiosity is our fuel. When we're very young, when we're very young and we're kids, we listened to everything on the radio, read every paper, looked at every magazine to see how people are dressing, what they're listening to, what albums I should buy, what's with the shoes I should wear, how I should dress so I look like everybody at school at about 40 years old, that gets tiring because life is about research. I can't most people. And most people will settle into their look, their style and their music. And then a young person will come to you and go, listen to this song. And then you go, oh, you think that was a good song? Wait till you hear real music. Here's real music. And. But that they're not engaged in that. And what I realized later on was my son showed me something from YouTube. This is about 20 years ago, and I saw that this YouTube video had 100 million clicks. And the number 100 million was so out of whatever I could fathom. I mean, this thing from TV and movies was the Super bowl, which gets 60 million.

[Bill O'Reilly]

I said, who?

[Howie Mandel]

Where's 100 million? And I looked at this and I saw all the comments and they were going, this is hysterical. This is funny. And I realized I didn't even. Not only did I not know who this person was, I didn't get it. I didn't know why they were funny. I didn't, you know, I. Up until that point, even if you don't like, you know, opera, I know why people appreciate it. I understand it's good. I've never bought an opera album. I've never gone to the opera. This was comedy. And I didn't understand what I was listening to. And that put the fear of God in me. I started. I. From that point on, I realized culture moves on. And what is this culture? How do I engage these people? How do I just understand them? I don't have to entertain you. I just want to understand why you think this is funny. And from that moment on, I live and I still go see a therapist for this. I live online. I'm aware of every platform. I have a gaming team with T Pain. I'm on twitch. I'm on TikTok. I'm on Instagram. I'm scrolling. I'm so afraid of missing out. But the language and the way people are, you know, even what you are doing right now with me, think about this 30 years ago. What is this? This is not a TV show. What is this?

[Bill O'Reilly]

Right? One of the positives of social media is that it allows the folks, I call them, to get to know people that they see in the entertainment, sports, political world much better. And there is a tremendous hunger for that. I want to know this person better. This format, okay, allows that. I didn't want to do this podcast. I like the podcast. I love being on your podcast with your daughter with a lot of fun. I did Billy Bush when I was out there, but I didn't want to do it because I'm a hard news guy. Essentially. I'm a gatherer of information and I disseminate it and it's been very successful for me but my younger staff demanding a that I humiliate myself with we'll do it live title and that I do this once a week with interesting people that they want to get to know. And that is what's happening here. American homeowners. The FBI has been warning all of us about a type of real estate fraud called title theft. The target your equity. With just a forged signature, ownership can be transferred out of your name and without protection in place you are facing an emotional and financial nightmare. That's why I partner up with home title lock. You can find out today if you are already a victim and protect yourself. Use promo code [e-mail] to get a free title history report plus a free trial of their million dollar triple lock protection. That's 247 monitoring urgent alerts and if you are a victim of fraud they will spend up to a million dollars to fix it. Don't be a victim. Protect your Equity today. That's hometitle lock.com promo code bill or use the link below. That's hometitlelock.com promo code bill quick question. How do you normally get your medication? Because there is a better way. When you need something, it's always a hassle. You call a doctor, next appointment and days away you sit in a waiting room full of sick people. Then you stand in line at the pharmacy. Sometimes they don't even have what you need. That system is slow, frustrating, outdated. But there's one pharmacy doing it a smarter way. All family pharmacy. You go online, choose what you need, fill out a quick medical form and a licensed doctor reviews your request and provides a prescription if it's appropriate. Then they ship it right to your door. Stock up on essentials like antibiotics, Ivermetkin and 300 other prescription medications. Please go to allfamilypharmacy.combill use code BILL10 in order to get 10% off your order. Now I got a couple of other questions about that are just curious to me. I've never been to a therapist. No therapist would ever accept me. Even if they're getting 1000 bucks an hour then it's not worth it. We're not going to do him. You say at your age that you still go to therapy. What does that do for you?

[Howie Mandel]

Gives me and helps me cope. You know, everything in life is coping. You know, you cope with everything. You cope with success, you cope with failure, you cope with relationships. You cope with and some people or at some point in your Life, you don't have all the tools. And I just think that it should be therapy. You should be part of our curriculum without a stigma. You're saying nobody would. Would accept you, but that's not true, and that you're just being facetious. But the truth of the matter is, I would imagine that you have, I don't know, your personal life, that you've had hard times in your life, and we have no qualms about going to a dentist even when something's not really bothering you to go get a checkup. Look, mom, no cavities. Go get a cleaning, get an X ray. Why do we not. I always say that we need to take care of our mental health the way we take care of our dental health. Why we would be more equipped to just deal with life throws your way.

[Bill O'Reilly]

But my ethos from where I am from, my tradition is you tough it out. And I don't really trust a lot of strangers, mercenaries, you know, but that's my neurosis.

[Howie Mandel]

But you know what? But the truth is I don't trust a lot of people with anything that people do. You always have to be your own advocate, whether that mental health, whether that's even your physical health, whether you've got to go in and get surgery, you should maybe get a second opinion. You should understand what they're going to do and how you're going to cope with it.

[Bill O'Reilly]

Okay, I. I get it. Your whole family or they do. They do the therapy thing. I don't want to pry, but I mean, is that.

[Howie Mandel]

Not everyone, but a lot? Not a lot.

[Bill O'Reilly]

Okay. And that's, that's from the positive results they've seen you have from it. I would assume I've got mandated by

[Howie Mandel]

my family, but they, But I've been so open about it that if they've needed help, they have gone.

[Bill O'Reilly]

Right. People don't understand that in order to. And you made a good point. In order to improve yourself, it's tough. And you got to have courage and you've got to confront whatever demons are there. And that's a way to do it and a positive way to do it. You're such an affable guy. Do you ever get angry? You're like, I know you.

[Howie Mandel]

My, my arresting emotion is anger and frustration. So you do get angry.

[Bill O'Reilly]

How. How does that manifest itself?

[Howie Mandel]

I will raise my voice and lose my patience and realize that I'm doing that. I don't have. I don't have what. So my coping skill is to stay busy and, and kind of direct my Focus on the now. Because if I think about. If it's really. I'm a control freak, and maybe that's part of the ocd. But if I see somebody doing something and it doesn't look like that's the way it should be done, I insert myself where I shouldn't insert myself. And if I'm being misunderstood, I, you know, you know, the. That's okay. Let's do it live.

[Bill O'Reilly]

Yeah.

[Howie Mandel]

I watch you watch that tape, and you'll see how I assert myself.

[Bill O'Reilly]

Yeah, I got a little teed off

[Howie Mandel]

with that, acting like that.

[Bill O'Reilly]

I have an excuse. I'm Irish, so that's my excuse.

[Howie Mandel]

I have an excuse. I'm an idiot. So I am. And, and, and, And I always feel bad. And I spend my. You know, I do that a lot.

[Bill O'Reilly]

Yeah, but not in public. I've never written. I've never seen a bad word written about you. I mean, I got three rooms full of bad words written about me. I've never seen a bad word written about you.

[Howie Mandel]

I'm not in the arena for bad words to be written about me. But, you know, like, even as we speak right now, I went and did Kelly and Mark in New York. I think it aired yesterday, the day before. If you go look at Page Six.

[Bill O'Reilly]

Yeah, I saw it.

[Howie Mandel]

I did a joke.

[Bill O'Reilly]

I know they don't care.

[Howie Mandel]

They said I snapped, but I think that's kind of funny. That doesn't really bother me. And more people probably read these articles than saw the show, so they think that I'm really sensitive about my age. I didn't snap, and I wasn't sensible about my age. I do snap. I did not snap there, and I didn't snap on tv, and I don't snap on the stage. But being on TV or being in front of a camera or being on stage is such a small part of my life. Even though I do a ton and I post a lot of things, 99% of my life is not being recorded like you.

[Bill O'Reilly]

Yeah, but I'm boring and you're not. That's the difference. And we really, really appreciate you taking the time, Howie. It's very kind of you to do it. If we can ever return the favor, you just let us know. Okay?

[Howie Mandel]

Well, right back at you, buddy. If you ever need anything, I'm here.

[Bill O'Reilly]

Thank you. And now we're going to do a Killing Time segment for our premium and concierge members on bill o'reilly riley.com. so if you aren't one, and we don't charge a lot of money for this, but you get lots of perks, so you might want to check that out.