When America’s Got Talent Season 20’s final Quarterfinals results show aired on Wednesday, September 10, there was one seat noticeably empty at the judges’ table. Mel B., Sofia Vergara, and Simon Cowell were all in attendance, but Howie Mandel was missing from the panel.
Host Terry Crews addressed the situation during the live show. “You have probably noticed there’s an empty chair here,” he pointed out. “Howie has had a loss in the family so he’s not going to be with us tonight.”
However, he confirmed when the longtime judge will return, adding, “Our best wishes go out to Howie and he will be back next week.” Crews did not go into detail about Mandel’s loss.
The Deal or No Deal host announced in 2023 that his mother, Evy Mandel, had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. While referencing the dark glasses he tends to wear during AGT, he told NBC Insider, “My glasses are my own line at SEE Eyewear. You got to HowieMandel.com and a portion of the sales of these glasses go to Alzheimer’s. My mother suffers from [the disease] so this is something that is near and dear to me. It’s a real tough thing, so if you can’t see, go to SEE and help the cause.”
Mandel has been a judge on the show since Season 5, giving him the longest tenure of all the current judges.
Earlier this week, Mandel was blasted by AGT viewers for hitting his red X buzzer on Zak Mirz during the magician’s Quarterfinals performance. By the end of Zak’s set, Mandel changed his tune and said he was taking the X back, urging viewers to vote for the impressive magic act. But he still expressed some skepticism about Mirz’s act, noting that it took him too long to get to the magic.
Still, the fans voted Mirz through to the Semifinals, along with TT Boys and the Birmingham Youth Choir. Team Recycled also moved on, as they were the recipients of Mandel’s Quarterfinals Golden Buzzer.
These four acts will join 11 others in next week’s Semifinals, which were supposed to feature 16 acts before magician Mastermind dropped out due to “personal reasons.” It’s unclear if he will be replaced.
America’s Got Talent, Season 20, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 8/7c, NBC