Howie Mandel Toughs out DMV Visit Amid Coronavirus Woes

Howie Mandel may have been wearing a full-scale hazmat suit to his hosting gig at America’s Got Talent, but there’s one place that he still feels comfortable. The comedian, who did show up to AGT taking an abundance of precaution over the coronavirus, posted a video to Instagram on Monday that showed him in a much more casual outfit while waiting in line at the DMV.

“Wow, with what’s going on in the news, I’m not comfortable going to the mall anymore, I’m not comfortable going to the movies anymore,” Mandel said in the clip. “This is the only place I feel comfortable: The DMV,” he added, before wandering off to find his place in (the presumably long) line.

Interestingly, Mandel had joked about showing up in a hazmat suit to his AGT gig in an Instagram post on Sunday, which featured two medics in similar gear wheeling a clearly contagious patient.

Mandel’s fear of germs stems from his Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, which he’s been outspoken of in the past. Back in 2009, he told 20/20 that he’s “always on the verge of death in my head.” Although it did inspire him to shave his head clean, which he called “so streamlined and so clean.”

“In my mind [my hand] is like a petri dish. Otherwise, I would spend the day, as I have in the past in my life in the men’s room rubbing and scrubbing and scalding,” he added.

Back on March 2, the official America’s Got Talent Instagram account shared a first look at the show’s Season 15 lineup, which includes Mandel, Terry Crews, Simon Cowell as well as a returning Heidi Klum and newcomer Sofia Vergara. The latter two hosts’ addition to the lineup comes with some controversy attached, as they’re replacing Julianne Hough and Gabrielle Union.

Despite having multi-year deals, Hough and Union weren’t asked back to the show after their one-season stint, which led to Union being rather outspoken about the toxic, often racist, work environment she was subjected to. NBC initially denied the claims but after a “productive” meeting with Union have since opened up an investigation — which will include looking into Cowell’s on-set behavior.

America’s Got Talent is slated to return this summer on NBC.