‘America’s Got Talent’: Howie Mandel Speaks out About Heidi Klum’s Coronavirus Fears

Shortly after it was reported that America’s Got Talent judge Heidi Klum would have to miss out on tapings of the competition series due to an illness, fellow judge Howie Mandel has spoken out about the supermodel’s wellbeing. On Friday, Mandel arrived at a taping of AGT, which will be filmed without an audience, where he was asked by TMZ what he thought about Klum being out sick. While he did say that he doesn’t believe that she has the coronavirus, he did cross his fingers in hopes that Klum does not have the illness which has affected numerous people across the world.

Before he made his way inside the building for the taping of the NBC series, Mandel was asked whether he was worried about “catching the coronavirus from Heidi” (the model has not expressed that she has tested positive for the virus). In response, the Deal or No Deal host said that he lives worried, “but not from Heidi.” He then went on to say that Klum does not have the coronavirus, but the interviewer clarified that the model has not been able to find a test for the virus yet. Mandel ended the conversation by saying that he hopes that Klum simply has a cold and that he’s crossing his fingers for a positive outcome.

Mandel’s update comes after Klum showed up to a taping of AGT earlier in the week but subsequently left without taking to the stage because she felt ill. Following the news, Klum acknowledged the reports herself and explained exactly what was going on.

“I just wanted you to know why I have not been sitting in my “America’s Got Talent” seat,” Klum’s explanation began, per TMZ. “It started all with a chill, feeling feverish, cough, runny nose. Ummm, I’m just not feeling good so that’s why I’ve stayed home to not infect any other people.”

“I hope it’s just a cold,” she continued to explain. “I would love to do the corona test but there just isn’t one here … I’ve tried two different doctors and I just can’t get one.”

It was previously reported on Thursday that AGT would continue to tape amidst the coronavirus crisis, but that it would not do so in front of a studio audience.

“Due to the ongoing global situation around Covid-19, we have been working closely with our production teams and network partners to take measures to help minimize the risk of exposure to our cast, crew and live audiences,” Fremantle, which produces the show, said in a statement to Deadline. “Effective immediately, we will refrain from filming in front of live audiences for our current productions America’s Got Talent and Family Feud. As live audiences are integral to the format of The Price Is Right, we will be suspending production for the short term. For similar reasons, we will be postponing the start of production for season 2 of Card Sharks. We will continue to closely monitor the situation and determine the appropriate time to resume normal course of business.”

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