Howie Mandel Defends ‘AGT’ Comedy Act That Ended In A TRAINWRECK [VIDEO]
NBC Reading Time: 2 minutes
Performances don’t always go according to plan, as AGT judge Howie Mandel knows firsthand. So when stand-up comic Christine Hurley messed up a couple of jokes during her audition, he had kind words for her.
Christine introduced herself as a 55-year-old mother of five who started performing comedy 15 years ago. Although she didn’t end up going through, she got some helpful encouragement from fellow comedian Howie.
Howie Mandel Defends ‘AGT’ Comedian Christine Hurley
Christine’s routine started out strong, as she made the audience laugh with her description of making breakfast for her kids in the morning. However, when she made a reference to “Jimmy Hurley” without explaining that he was her husband, things got confusing.
She corrected herself, but seemed flustered by the flub, and went on to incorrectly deliver another joke. “I screwed that up,” she said, as the judges encouraged her to keep going.
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Simon asked Howie to give his critique first, as he’s a comedian. He shared that even he messes up sometimes after 40 years in the business. “If it goes totally wrong, embrace that,” he advised. “Embrace the fact that it went wrong. That kinda can work for you.”
Howie voted yes, admitting that it “was not a good audition,” but he wanted to give her another chance. Heidi Klum also voted yes, but Sofia Vergara and Simon Cowell voted no, meaning Christine didn’t move on.
Howie Reassures Christine After Her Audition
After Christine left the stage, Howie Mandel stood up from the judges’ table and followed after her. “Listen, you’re really funny,” he told her. “You have the cadence, you have the personality, you have everything.”
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“I was just so excited,” Christine explained, and Howie told her, “We’re all human. But you’re a funny lady. You’re a lovely lady.” He even gave her a hug.
Viewers were touched by Howie’s gesture. As one YouTube commenter wrote, “Howie is such a good guy. So nice of him to go and comfort her. To reassure her. I hope she tries again next year!”
