“America’s Got Talent” judge Howie Mandel is defending a joke he made about fellow judge Sofia Vergara’s divorce from Joe Manganiello, which the couple just announced last month.
During Tuesday night’s live episode, a young ventriloquist named Brynn Cummings enlisted panelist Heidi Klum to find her puppet, Penelope, a boyfriend.
Mandel expressed support for Cummings’ performance and then joked, “I have one more piece of advice for you: If you’re looking for eligible bachelors, you should’ve talked to Sofia, because she’s in the market right now.”
Vergara responded by reaching her arms in the air and cheering.
Host Terry Crews quickly shut down the conversation, saying, “No, we’re not doing that here!”
Klum said to Cummings and her puppet, “Well, thank you that you picked me. I think I did a fantastic job, and so did you.”
Some critics online took issue with Mandel joking about Vergara’s split from her husband so soon after it was announced. The 67-year-old comedian responded to the criticism.
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“People were online saying, ‘Too soon.’ I think as soon as you’re available, it’s never too soon. She’s fresh, people,” Mandel told Extra following the episode airing.
He continued, “People thought that was mean and insensitive. If you watched Sofia, she screamed after she came over to me and thought it was funny. She said, ‘Yes,’ so she’s got a great sense of humor, and I wouldn’t do anything to hurt a fellow — a friend first, and a fellow co-worker.”
When the interviewer asked who Vergara should be paired with, he said, “I think everybody watching who is available believes they’re the perfect match for Sofia. I don’t think, Sofia, to be honest . . . she doesn’t need my help.”
The “AGT” judge went on, “She really doesn’t. I believe that she’ll be fending them off. I mean, she is a great friend, a brilliant person, businessperson, a powerhouse, an amazing sense of humor. She checks every box, so whoever ends up with Sofia is going to be really, really lucky.”
“Let’s try and do it by the end of the season,” Mandel joked. “We’ll find her a match and leave it to America to vote.”
