Howie Mandel defended Meghan Markle on Thursday, a week after she faced backlash for saying she felt like little more than a “bimbo” while working as a briefcase girl on “Deal of No Deal,” which he hosted.
“I don’t think she’s maligning ‘Deal or No Deal,’” he told US Weekly. “I don’t think Meghan is complaining. I think Meghan just said she wanted to do more. It wasn’t fulfilling for her.”
The Duchess of Sussex faced criticism after she made the remarks on her “Archetypes” podcast on Oct. 18.
While discussing the “bimbo” stereotype often put upon women with Paris Hilton, Meghan said on the game show she would think back to when she interned at the U.S. Embassy in Argentina and was valued for her “brain.” On “Deal or No Deal,” “I was being valued for something quite the opposite,” she said.
MEGHAN MARKLE SAYS BEING ‘PARTICULAR’ IS DIFFERENT THAN BEING ‘DIFFICULT’: IT ‘MAKES YOU CLEAR’
Former "Deal or No Deal" host Howie Mandel defended Meghan Markle claiming she felt like a "bimbo" working as a model on the show.
(Leon Bennett/Charles McQuillan/Getty Images)
Former fellow briefcase girl and “Real Housewives” star Claudia Jordan disputed Meghan’s assertions, writing on her Instagram story, “Deal or No Deal never treated us like bimbos. We got so many opportunities because of that show.”
She added, “For clarity – yes getting a modeling gig on a game show isn’t necessarily about your intellect, but every show the executive producers picked five models with the most outgoing and fun personalities to place mics on, who they knew would engage with the contestants.”
WHOOPI GOLDBERG AND ‘RHOA’ ALUM CLAUDIA JORDAN QUESTION MEGHAN MARKLE’S ‘DEAL OR NO DEAL’ CLAIMS
Meghan Markle poses for a portrait shot during season two promotions for "Deal or No Deal."
(Paul Drinkwater/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank)
“View” co-host Whoopi Goldberg also took issue with Meghan’s remarks, saying, “When you’re a performer, you take the gig.”
She added, “That’s TV, baby. But what did you think you were going to? You know that’s what the show was.”
Mandel said he understood what Meghan was talking about.
Howie Mandel on the set of "Deal or No Deal."
(Trae Patton/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images)
“I get it,” he told US Weekly, “I felt like nothing and that’s why I’ve moved on and become a judge on “America’s Got Talent.” I just needed more than to be a ‘Deal or No Deal’ host.”
The comedian said he also felt like a “bimbo” on the show. “I don’t know why there is a big hoopla [about Meghan], except I have to say that me standing there with 26 women staring at me made me feel like a bimbo.”
He added, “I’ve never said this before — but they had this pyramid of 26 beautiful, intelligent women standing there just staring at me like I was a piece of meat. I was in the center, just dressed up in a suit and I felt like I am more than this.”
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Meghan said she was “thankful for the job” while she was pursuing her acting career, “but not how it made me feel, which was not smart.”
