Inside Howie Mandel's Family Life: Meet His Wife Terry and 3 Children

Howie Mandel has always put his family first.

The America's Got Talent star and his wife of more than 40 years, Terry Mandel, met when they were kids while waiting to buy French fries.

"I actually borrowed money from her. I didn't know her, and I was short a couple of bucks for french fries and she lent me money. She was, like, 14 at the time and she lent me money. And I've been paying her back ever since," Howie recalled their first meeting during an appearance on Today With Hoda & Jenna.

The couple had their first date at a movie theater, but it came close to disaster due to poor weather.

Against all odds, their relationship progressed, with Howie proposing to Terry in a deli. They tied the knot on March 16, 1980.

Revealing one of the things that made him fall in love with his wife, Howie told Good Housekeeping, "[Terry] made me laugh. It was wonderful to meet a witty woman. Spending your life with someone who doesn't have that wouldn't be palatable."

Howie, who was diagnosed with severe anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder as a child, said the lights of his life are his children, grandchildren and "lovely wife."

"She was there for the family when I couldn't be," he gushed about Terry in a 2021 interview with People.

Howie and Terry became first-time parents with the birth of their first child, Jackelyn, in 1984.

Having grown up attending red carpet events and making public appearances alongside her father, Jackelyn ultimately followed in her parents' footsteps. She worked as a special correspondent for PEOPLE (The TV Show!) for AGT in 2021 and currently co-hosts "Howie Mandel Does Stuff" with her father.

In July 2013, she married DJ Alex Shultz during a ceremony officiated by her brother, Alex Mandel. They share two children: Abbey and Axel.

Like Howie, Jackelyn also suffers from anxiety and OCD.

"There were a lot of control issues about me being safe, like, where was I, what did I get into, what did I touch? He was strict. And there was a lot of hovering. We had trouble getting along in those times," she shared.

Howie and Terry's only son, Alex, was born on September 30, 1989.

During AGT Season 17 following Amanda Mammana's audition, the father-of-three revealed Alex was a stutterer as a kid.

"And this was a big hurdle to get over," he told the contestant. "So to hear your story, I kinda relate to it... And to watch that journey, from who you are and what you struggle with, to hear the purity today in not only your voice and your song but the words and the story, it was heroic and beautiful. Thank you for doing what you do."

Alex also has a career in comedy and entertainment. He previously ran a YouTube channel where he uploaded vlogs and prank videos.

Additionally, he began serving as a mental health advocate after witnessing the mental health struggles of his loved ones.

"I think that it does get passed down," he said during a January 2017 appearance on CTV's Your Morning, where Howie was also a guest.

When the patriarch jokingly claimed his son was "blaming him," Alex playfully responded, "So it's his fault that I also have ADD and anxiety. But it is something that affects me, and I think that one thing that people don't talk about is that it affects the family as a whole, even if only one member has that. I think it's good that we're doing this together, because we've had to deal with it together as a family."

Howie and Terry welcomed their youngest child, Riley, in 1992.

According to her LinkedIn profile, Riley graduated from Chapman University with a Bachelor of Science degree. She returned to the university to earn a Doctor of Physical Therapy in 2018.

"So proud of Dr Riley Mandel who also won an award for academic excellence!! Gray graduation !! So proud !!" Terry captioned a post.

Riley got engaged to Cameron Ehrlich in February 2016. They married on June 29, 2019.