Does Howie Mandel have germophobia?
Howie Mandel
Mandel has spoken publicly about having obsessive compulsive disorder, which can take many forms, including mysophobia.[26][27] Mandel's anxiety affects him to the point that he does not shake hands with anyone, including enthusiastic contestants on Deal or No Deal, unless he is wearing latex gloves. Instead of shaking contestants' hands when they offer them, Mandel often opts to exchange fist bumps, put his hands on contestants' shoulders, or give an occasional hug. He once kissed a female contestant on the show for good luck despite his disorder. He now takes medicine to control his condition and even pokes fun at himself for it. He revealed on The Howard Stern Show on March 24, 2006, that his shaved head is not related to natural hair loss, but to OCD. He stated that the lack of hair makes him feel cleaner.[28] In the back yard of Mandel's house is a second, smaller house which he had built especially to live in solitude when a family member is sick.[29] During his appearance on Mad TV, Mandel and cast member Bobby Lee made fun of the former's condition. Mandel also confronted his germophobia in Season 4, Episode 1 of the Comedy Central series This Is Not Happening. The show aired on February 3, 2018. [30]
Seth Mandel
On 28 November 2018, Mandel led calls for CNN to fire Marc Lamont Hill as a contributor for advocating for Palestinian rights at the UN in a way that was seen by some as calling for the destruction of the State of Israel; the following day, Hill was fired by CNN. Glenn Greenwald then noted that "Some on the pro-Israel right who agitated for Hill's firing have previously mocked what they call “outrage culture,” in which people are fired for controversial comments. The Washington Examiner’s Executive Editor and fanatical Israel defender, Seth Mandel, has long denounced and ridiculed such “mobs“" [...] "Yet the very same Seth Mandel who finds “outrage mobs” so offensive when they target people who have similar political views to his own helped lead his own “internet outrage mob” to have Hill fired." [...] "There are few people more craven or contemptible than those who pretend to support free expression and oppose the attempts of “internet mobs” to have those they disagree with fired, only to instantly change positions when it comes to those whose views diverge from their own. Seth Mandel is the poster child for such principle-free, duplicitous frauds, but he is far from alone."