Howie Mandel opens up to Joe Rogan about ongoing depression

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By Kristine Parks, Fox News

April 22, 2023 | 3:26 p.m.

Comedian and ‘America’s Got Talent’ judge Howie Mandel got candid about his struggles with anxiety and depression during an appearance on ‘The Joe Rogan Experience’ this week.

Mandel surprised Rogan by revealing he wasn’t happy, despite success, a great support system and taking medication.

“I’m fucking crazy,” he confessed.

“When I hear about a person like you not feeling well, depressed, (I think) damn it, when he’s with people he seems so happy,” the host replied. from the podcast.

Mandel admitted that he finds staying busy and talking to others keeps him “distracted” from negative emotions.

But he struggled when he was alone.

“The worst thing for me is the quiet weather. I don’t like the night, I don’t like when I get inside my head. That’s why I love stand-up comedy,” Mandel said.

“Because in those moments you’re just in the moment because you have to be.”

Mandel said he was always about to enter a dark place in his mind.

“If I veered off into the darkness that is me… I feel like I’m balancing on that little ledge the whole time. Those words and those interactions are my cable that keeps me on this side without falling,” he explained.

His candid comments surprised Rogan.

“Wow, that’s heavy,” he replied.

Apart from comedy, medication and exercise also helped keep him balanced.

Running for an hour a day on the treadmill acted as a form of meditation, he claimed.

“It’s good for my physical health, but it’s also better for my mental health,” Mandel said.

“And just staying crazy busy.”

The comedian has previously spoken publicly about having obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

The condition is marked by intrusive and unwanted thoughts that can manifest as phobias and lead to repetitive behaviors or compulsions as well as anxiety, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Last October, ahead of National OCD Awareness Month, Mandel told Fox News Digital that there is a strong stigma in society related to mental health issues that he fights to change.