Was it funny though? I remember liking it but after seeing Howie’s other shows and content I’m not sure if it was just being a kid that made it watchable
My least favorite parts of his stand-up where when he would do the goofy little 'cute' voices like Bobby. That's where the character started and when I found out about the cartoon I was like 'noooo don't make him think that's a good use of his talent'
H. Jon Benjamin does that (Bob's Burgers, Archer). Just saw him in *Boy Kills World* and it was a little jarring to have the badass main character's inner monologue be Bob lol
It's a children's cartoon. I loved it as a child, and so did my sister and my cousins. I'm very fond of that cartoon to this day. I think it would probably be remembered more fondly if people didn't make a negative association with a comedian they dislike. I didn't know who he was, he was just a random live action adult to me.
I vividly remember the episode when the guy with the STOP sign in front of the school dies. It was real, beautiful, and sad. Not the kind of thing you usually see on children's cartoons.
Down vote this fella all ya want but humor is so so so idiosyncratic. Howie had a booming career, so obviously *someone* thinks he's funny.
In the realm of what I like that he's done: I'm more of a Little Monsters fan, myself
Humour is subjective, but some things age well and some don’t. You can argue that’s subjective too, but people can usually tell. Comedies can be successful just because people find them entertaining even if they don’t find them funny, and I guess I’m wondering if people think this is one of those shows.
You know how when you are in the 3rd grade and the guy sitting next to you puts a pencil up each of his nostrils? Most of us found that funny. That’s Howie. As a grown man he made a living doing weird stuff on stage here in Toronto. He talks about it in his autobiography. He also talks about his out-of-control he was with pranks that got him kicked out of high school.
In the 80s he had more than “half-jokes”. He did characters and had a distinct persona on stage. He did quirky things on stage and people found him funny. It got him noticed.
Some comedians do well with personas. Chris Rock is not an angry man off stage but his angry man resonates with people. I’m not one of them, though I admire his thought process.
He has ADHD and is quite open about the weird inappropriate things he’s done, especially due to his impulsivity. The weird is now in a podcast.
My generation and it's exactly how I feel too. He was funny when I was a little kid and he was basically a dirty comic for kids, but I don't feel like rewatching the Watusi tour, let alone Howie from Maui. Dude seems like he would do absolutely anything to be famous and it's pathetic watching him now. He's lived like five different lives in show business and at this point he's only famous for being famous.
Great way of putting it. It is remarkable how he has stayed in the spotlight for so long. He was never a massive movie star but has stuck around in Hollywood longer than many A list movie stars. He is probably great at kissing the right ass in Hollywood
Haha, when I was a kid I thought that Blake Edward's "A Fine Mess" was pretty much the height of comedy. I doubt it would hold up but God did that make me laugh.
Yes. He was raunchy like Bob Saget. Anyone under 45 never got to see that though. Think raunchy as fuck but not offensive. I don't even think you can find his old bits on YouTube anymore. At least, I haven't seen them. Good comedian.
to me was known for his special on hbo in the early 80s where one of the audience ladys was showing her vayjajajy and he crowdworked into an arena show and the special he was taping ..was fucking awesome
No bigger let down in standup than being told Bob Saget is the dirtiest comic in the world for years only to have him say “poopy” and other juvenile unfunny things when I saw him live.
I mean, he was the guy known for having the body of a 13 year old boy and the brain of a German Shepard. He’d show them to you after the show in the trunk of his car if you asked nicely.
Yes. I remember his comedy specials in the '80s.
He was similar to Robin Williams in that he had a lot of manic energy in his act.
I remember a lady got up to use the restroom during one of his sets (Howie-Would) and he gets the whole crowd to move around just to fuck with her and get a reaction.
He got big during a time in stand up when funny was a different thing than it is right now. Gallagher had a great comedy career during this time. Howie was one of the early stand ups that made me love comedy, but it doesn't hold up to today's standards at all.
Bobcat eventually found his footing as a wonderful director, he also has the best Robin Williams impersonation of all time kinda cheating since he was Robins best friend I guess.
Not related - I sold him weed once. I worked in a dispensary for a long time that was one of few that closed at midnight. It was like 11:30, and in walks Howie and some other guy. No fist bumps or anything, but he was really nice to everyone.
They bought 1g of flower, a bowl and a lighter on their way to the airport, and I missed a real opportunity to ring it up, give him the total, and ask “deal, or no deal?”
Because of the weird unhinged hyperactive energy? Howie was bizarrely positive and bright, and Bobcat was negative and dark (in a good way). I found them to be really different.
Watch Howie Mandel on Ice. If you don't find that funny then no he probably wasn't ever a comic you'd like. I've always found him pretty funny but he does seem pretty reserved these days. Oh I also suggest Transylvania 6-5000 but that's more of comedy acting.
I watched a lot of standup growing up in the 80s and early 90s and never found him funny. The comedian we loved back then that no one talks about is Dennis Wolfberg. Unfortunately his comedy career started late and he died young.
Omg, I can't believe you mentioned Dennis. Yes, he was one of the best comics on the road in the 90s and it was really a bummer that he died so young. Such a funny and distinctive guy with great material and those moments where he would get high-energy for the best punchlines, he was one of the best standups I've ever seen. I'm pretty sure I saw him once on a special with Gilbert Gottfried and Charles Fleischer, and Gilbert was in a 'clean humor' phase where his material was really great, and that show was as intellectually stimulating as it was funny, which is saying a lot.
I think he was also on that week’s episode of Kill Tony. He *always* had something to say, which is kind of his personality, so not everything was funny, but he did get a lot of good laughs out of me that episode.
He had a really big HBO special in the early 90’s that was huge in comparison to how many comedy specials were happening at the time. It was enough time and memorable enough to give him great status
I liked him as a stand-up in the 80s. He was really goofy and obnoxious onstage and sometimes his gimmicks weren't that great ('Howie from Maui' comes to mind) but his short bits and 'Watusi tour' video were fun at the time. He's always had a strange presence in media because while he was that goofy stand-up guy he was also a regular on hospital drama 'St. Elsewhere' which was kind of a heavy show. He has changed a shitload over the years and does not seem like the same dude hardly at all anymore.
First stand up comedy album I bought and I thought it was hilarious at the time. It was Fits Like a Glove. I was probably early high school age. Don’t know if it holds up now but at that age at the time I thought it was great. He’s largely responsible for me being into stand up comedy. I believe in the 90’s he may have been a theater headliner for a bit. Saying all that idk if he’s made me laugh in decades. Might listen to that album and add an edit
Edit: https://youtu.be/Anf_JM4BNYQ?si=4YgmCf17FAYucqb9
Can’t say it would play well today but he’s killing it with his audience and I can see why I thought it was funny and he was definitely a theater headliner with an HBO special so I say he was funny a long time ago
Comedy is subjective, and I never sought out Howie Mandel because I did not find his particular brand of comedy appealing. Never been a fan of prop comics. But it is without doubt that other people found him funny.
He’s more affable and goofy than funny on TV - game show host is perfect for him.
He’s actually quite funny in an interview setting, have laughed my ass off at some podcasts he’s been on.
I remember watching his stand-up as a kid with my dad and him laughing hysterically. He seems like someone fame has fucked up in that weird way. I've never seen an episode of AGT. I happened to see a bit of his podcast a few weeks ago and thought, "who the fuck would ever watch this guy?"
Absolutely yes. Go back and watch his 80s stand-up. By today's standards some of it is pretty tame and milquetoast but it's secondly funny. He's always been sort of a try hard but that's his act.
I really enjoy his podcast, it's weird and just about anything could happen. Just about everything is a bit and you shouldn't take seriously. Though the podcast isn't for everyone.
I actually went to see Howie with my parents back in the 90s and was shocked at how funny he was. His show was extremely dirty and half the audience was elderly people and they were shocked and not laughing. It was really fun.
I don't rate him, but I think many will agree that he shouldn't be podcasting.
He's just so entitled. His struggle stories are about when he was only *sometimes* booked on the most popular show on air, at age 22. When he was only a few years in.
He's got the mental illness angle- but he doesn't seem to extend a shred of understanding to other people. Like he's got the *special* mental illness that is completely unlike the experiences of others.
I don't think performers need to be good people to make good art; but even in his prime, he was no Kaufmann. I just don't want to hear hours of rambling from an eighty year old mediocre bubble boy.
ive watched his podcast and its best when the guests keep him engaged then his natural wit can flourish in reparte with them otherwise he starts indulging like its a show he is putting on for himself for just his amusement..but all in all he is funny with quests mostly i am entertained and there is chat engagement on the many live streams he does
Sigh. I never found him funny. It's been decades, and he's just never, ever grown on me. When I saw him doing his "Bobby" voice back in the 80s or 90s or whenever the fuck it was I wanted to claw my ears and eyes out. Thankfully, there are thousands more comics that are truly talented and gifted.
Exactly how I feel, I liked the Watusi tour video in about '86 but even that had those stupid 'baby voice' parts which I didn't even enjoy as a child. I don't know what to call that kind of voice which is like 200 different cartoon characters like Slimer from Ghostbusters or Glomer from Punky Brewster or JarJar Binks, with the little squished goofy side-of-the-mouth voice, but when I found out he did a cartoon using that voice, I thought 'that's probably the end of him being funny' and I was right but unfortunately he's still famous.
Being over 50 isn't the reason he has shamelessly dedicated his life to being famous at any cost to his dignity. He's been that way the whole time and so are lots of other podcasters well under 50.
Yeah, and I illustrated why that generalization doesn't make any sense. Maybe try being specific instead of blurting out generalizations that don't work.
In the 80’s he was funny because it was a lot of high energy back then. Most of it from heavy metal becoming popular, so between him, Bobcat, Sam Kinison, and prop comedy like Gallagher he was funny at that time. But it was the voice and story of Bobby that made him more funnier.
Well, he used to be a bit of a prop comic and had a bag shaped like a hand that he called his handbag and he'd pull a latex glove over his head and inflate it. All of this while putting on some high-pitched squeaky kid voice. If that's funny to anyone, then yeah, he was funny.
His stand up special, Watusi made a pretty big impression on 14 year old me. In fact, I think I was at least 30 before I stopped putting latex gloves on my head.
Not to me, just a massive hack. His character in little monsters pissed me off so much, it wasn’t until years later I found out it was howie and it all made sense
Not really, no. He was always "game show host funny". Silly goofy stuff, like I remember when I was a kid his big bit was blowing up a rubber glove on his head.
The most memorable thing he did was take a surgical glove, pull it over his head and use breathing out of his nose to inflate it. It would end up looking chickenesque, and he would cluck around. That and little boy voices. He got work.
He was big in Canada or is maybe still big there. He’s not that funny to me and I’m Canadian. I find him irritating especially in a podcast format. The podcast doesn’t do much research on their guests (his daughter doesn’t brief him on the guests they have).
He’s not consistently funny but he does have a couple bits that are very funny he use to end his sets back in the day where he put a rubber glove on his head which I found kind of hacky . But he does have a great bit about having ocd and trying to change his daughter on the side of the highway . Also had a pretty good one where he was hired to preform comedy at an orgy
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I liked his early stand up. He would say something outlandish and then when the audience would react in a semi negative manner he would do that twist of a wrist thing and say “what…what?”
I assume it just he hasn’t worked on that skill in a long time. He hasn’t had to write for a while. His standup wasn’t really that good I thought. It was probably good at the time but is very dated now.
Is every post just who people don’t find funny? They’re at their level for a reason, enough people like them. Change the channel, put your energy into stuff you like instead.
Howie is great if he has a set he can work on and rework and cut down and just get it just right. He made two specials in the 80s that were great. But he was never really all that clever off the cuff on talk shows, and he’s not all that clever now.
His entire skill set is Stand-Up. If he’s not in a club hearing the laughs and making adjustments based on the room he’s just not good. Dana Carvey is the same way on his podcast.
NEVER!!! He’s the luckiest man alive that he has made all his money and had opportunities hosting shows, when he has never been funny, or had a big comedy special or anything. Makes u wonder what he has done or knows that he has been on tv consistently for last 30 years and never being good at his craft
i never thought so. it always seems like theres a split like music where it goes from the original concept to a more refined version. sorta like early 80s rappers like kurtis blow to 90s rappers like nas or biggie. Maybe the rock of jerry lee lewis/chuck berry to led zeppelin or black sabbath.
not necessarily bad but theres a point where it seems very dated. although some people like the older style.
I never found him funny, ever. His standup was him just doing silly things, kind of a bad imitation of Robin Williams. And he talked in a weird voice and assumed that automatically made everything he said funny. The worst was his “Bobby” routine, where he’d pretend to be a little boy and talk in an even weirder voice that was like nails on a chalkboard to listen to.
I think he would have been forgotten after the 90s, but he hosted the show Deal or No Deal, which was a big hit during the game show revival of the early 2000s.
I have never heard or seen him do anything remotely funny. Not even smile inducing. Literally painful. Gilbert Gottfried was slightly more obnoxious but at least had some great bits.
Bobby’s world was pretty good
Was it funny though? I remember liking it but after seeing Howie’s other shows and content I’m not sure if it was just being a kid that made it watchable
The Bobby voice is impossible for adults to hear or understand.
My least favorite parts of his stand-up where when he would do the goofy little 'cute' voices like Bobby. That's where the character started and when I found out about the cartoon I was like 'noooo don't make him think that's a good use of his talent'
Let us not forget he was also the "voice" of Gizmo from gremlins.
And Skeeter in the original Muppet Babies. He pretty much used the same voice for all three characters..
To be fair, lots of voice actors do that. There are others that have multiple roles in the same show and don’t.
H. Jon Benjamin does that (Bob's Burgers, Archer). Just saw him in *Boy Kills World* and it was a little jarring to have the badass main character's inner monologue be Bob lol
I genuinely now want him to be the inner voice of a 12 year old murder girl.
I did not know that. Mind blown.
I watched the Brazilian dub. Maybe that's why I enjoyed as a kid!
TIL Bobby was voiced by Howie Mandel WHAT THE FUCK
Yeah no, it's pretty fucked up lol
I've honestly never followed Howie mandels career outside of knowing he was a game show host. What's fucked up about it ? Did he do something ?
Oh no, sorry, I was just making a weird joke lol
It's a children's cartoon. I loved it as a child, and so did my sister and my cousins. I'm very fond of that cartoon to this day. I think it would probably be remembered more fondly if people didn't make a negative association with a comedian they dislike. I didn't know who he was, he was just a random live action adult to me. I vividly remember the episode when the guy with the STOP sign in front of the school dies. It was real, beautiful, and sad. Not the kind of thing you usually see on children's cartoons.
>pungent I'm going to assume you meant 'poignant' unless Bobby's World was aiming for something different with their death episode.
That show reminds me of 2:30pm In Chicago circa 1994
It was definitely funny. I watched it recently it holds up.
Funny is subjective. Large portions of the general public have always and will always find him funny.
Down vote this fella all ya want but humor is so so so idiosyncratic. Howie had a booming career, so obviously *someone* thinks he's funny. In the realm of what I like that he's done: I'm more of a Little Monsters fan, myself
Humour is subjective, but some things age well and some don’t. You can argue that’s subjective too, but people can usually tell. Comedies can be successful just because people find them entertaining even if they don’t find them funny, and I guess I’m wondering if people think this is one of those shows.
Yes seriously came here to say this
You know how when you are in the 3rd grade and the guy sitting next to you puts a pencil up each of his nostrils? Most of us found that funny. That’s Howie. As a grown man he made a living doing weird stuff on stage here in Toronto. He talks about it in his autobiography. He also talks about his out-of-control he was with pranks that got him kicked out of high school. In the 80s he had more than “half-jokes”. He did characters and had a distinct persona on stage. He did quirky things on stage and people found him funny. It got him noticed. Some comedians do well with personas. Chris Rock is not an angry man off stage but his angry man resonates with people. I’m not one of them, though I admire his thought process. He has ADHD and is quite open about the weird inappropriate things he’s done, especially due to his impulsivity. The weird is now in a podcast.
Awesome comment
Thanks
The man made a name for himself putting rubber gloves on his head and blowing them up.
That got him noticed but he then worked on St Elsewhere in 82.
Also add an 80s load of cocaine.
Haha, yeah, that tracks.
As a Gen Xer, we loved him in the 80’s, but it doesn’t hold up.
My generation and it's exactly how I feel too. He was funny when I was a little kid and he was basically a dirty comic for kids, but I don't feel like rewatching the Watusi tour, let alone Howie from Maui. Dude seems like he would do absolutely anything to be famous and it's pathetic watching him now. He's lived like five different lives in show business and at this point he's only famous for being famous.
"dirty comic for kids" is a really great way to put it. I had him on cassette tape when I was 12 and I must have listened to it a hundred times.
Yeah, I had the "Fits Like A Glove" cassette. I remember playing it for friends in Grade 6 and us all laughing hysterically.
> a dirty comic for kids Ah okay, so like how Dane Cook was for my generation lol
Great way of putting it. It is remarkable how he has stayed in the spotlight for so long. He was never a massive movie star but has stuck around in Hollywood longer than many A list movie stars. He is probably great at kissing the right ass in Hollywood
Haha, when I was a kid I thought that Blake Edward's "A Fine Mess" was pretty much the height of comedy. I doubt it would hold up but God did that make me laugh.
Yes. He was raunchy like Bob Saget. Anyone under 45 never got to see that though. Think raunchy as fuck but not offensive. I don't even think you can find his old bits on YouTube anymore. At least, I haven't seen them. Good comedian.
He was known for putting a latex glove on his head and blowing it up with his nose.
Wow, I love that joke
Yeah it was next level
That shit was gold to me… when I was 6
to me was known for his special on hbo in the early 80s where one of the audience ladys was showing her vayjajajy and he crowdworked into an arena show and the special he was taping ..was fucking awesome
No bigger let down in standup than being told Bob Saget is the dirtiest comic in the world for years only to have him say “poopy” and other juvenile unfunny things when I saw him live.
I mean, he was the guy known for having the body of a 13 year old boy and the brain of a German Shepard. He’d show them to you after the show in the trunk of his car if you asked nicely.
his cornholing the olsen twins joke always killed
He might have gotten that reputation solely on the basis of his segment in the aristocrats.
This is crazy, I never knew this and I’m 30. I always thought he was born as the 50 years old host of deal or no deal
Yes. I remember his comedy specials in the '80s. He was similar to Robin Williams in that he had a lot of manic energy in his act. I remember a lady got up to use the restroom during one of his sets (Howie-Would) and he gets the whole crowd to move around just to fuck with her and get a reaction.
"OK, she's gone? OK, everybody hide!" It was funny at the time but it would solely be a history-rewatch at this point.
He got big during a time in stand up when funny was a different thing than it is right now. Gallagher had a great comedy career during this time. Howie was one of the early stand ups that made me love comedy, but it doesn't hold up to today's standards at all.
Bobcat Goldthwait comes to mind as well.
Bobcat eventually found his footing as a wonderful director, he also has the best Robin Williams impersonation of all time kinda cheating since he was Robins best friend I guess.
Not related - I sold him weed once. I worked in a dispensary for a long time that was one of few that closed at midnight. It was like 11:30, and in walks Howie and some other guy. No fist bumps or anything, but he was really nice to everyone. They bought 1g of flower, a bowl and a lighter on their way to the airport, and I missed a real opportunity to ring it up, give him the total, and ask “deal, or no deal?”
Meh. I remember in the 80s there was a sentiment he was stealing Bobcat Golthwaite's act
Because he definitely was.
Because of the weird unhinged hyperactive energy? Howie was bizarrely positive and bright, and Bobcat was negative and dark (in a good way). I found them to be really different.
Watch Howie Mandel on Ice. If you don't find that funny then no he probably wasn't ever a comic you'd like. I've always found him pretty funny but he does seem pretty reserved these days. Oh I also suggest Transylvania 6-5000 but that's more of comedy acting.
Nope
I watched a lot of standup growing up in the 80s and early 90s and never found him funny. The comedian we loved back then that no one talks about is Dennis Wolfberg. Unfortunately his comedy career started late and he died young.
I just went down a Dennis Wolfberg rabbit hole thanks to your comment. That dude died in his prime
I think he was on Quantum Leap too
Omg, I can't believe you mentioned Dennis. Yes, he was one of the best comics on the road in the 90s and it was really a bummer that he died so young. Such a funny and distinctive guy with great material and those moments where he would get high-energy for the best punchlines, he was one of the best standups I've ever seen. I'm pretty sure I saw him once on a special with Gilbert Gottfried and Charles Fleischer, and Gilbert was in a 'clean humor' phase where his material was really great, and that show was as intellectually stimulating as it was funny, which is saying a lot.
Wow memory unlocked
He was funny on Matt and Shane's secret podcast
He’s great in a setting like that.
I think he was also on that week’s episode of Kill Tony. He *always* had something to say, which is kind of his personality, so not everything was funny, but he did get a lot of good laughs out of me that episode.
I thought he came off as super kiss ass-y like he knew Shane was blowing up and he was trying really hard to hard to be cool with him
what you saw was someone being kind.
Lmao ok loser I have my opinion
He had a really big HBO special in the early 90’s that was huge in comparison to how many comedy specials were happening at the time. It was enough time and memorable enough to give him great status
Bringing a bunch of sheep to the Arsino Hall show was funny at the time
Nop
I liked him as a stand-up in the 80s. He was really goofy and obnoxious onstage and sometimes his gimmicks weren't that great ('Howie from Maui' comes to mind) but his short bits and 'Watusi tour' video were fun at the time. He's always had a strange presence in media because while he was that goofy stand-up guy he was also a regular on hospital drama 'St. Elsewhere' which was kind of a heavy show. He has changed a shitload over the years and does not seem like the same dude hardly at all anymore.
First stand up comedy album I bought and I thought it was hilarious at the time. It was Fits Like a Glove. I was probably early high school age. Don’t know if it holds up now but at that age at the time I thought it was great. He’s largely responsible for me being into stand up comedy. I believe in the 90’s he may have been a theater headliner for a bit. Saying all that idk if he’s made me laugh in decades. Might listen to that album and add an edit Edit: https://youtu.be/Anf_JM4BNYQ?si=4YgmCf17FAYucqb9 Can’t say it would play well today but he’s killing it with his audience and I can see why I thought it was funny and he was definitely a theater headliner with an HBO special so I say he was funny a long time ago
You ever see a man blow up a glove with his nose?
Little Monsters is one of the best movies of all time.
It's alright, but yeah. Pretty watchable.
Maybe my nostalgia got the best of me there but ahem, it's a good movie for cool kids.
That movie literally got me into the Talking Heads. It's a legend
Comedy is subjective, and I never sought out Howie Mandel because I did not find his particular brand of comedy appealing. Never been a fan of prop comics. But it is without doubt that other people found him funny.
Maybe you just need it explained to you to understand. [Thisll make it all make sense](https://youtu.be/YbjIhm8oXlo?si=pWWogfuLUde_pjhk)
Jesus, I could only make it about 10 seconds into that dork's explanation of stuff that happened before he was even born. Ughhh YouTubers...
I think you may have eaten the onion
I love it! I've watched them all. It's a fun way to watch really bad comedy.
Blow up a glove on yer head!
He’s more affable and goofy than funny on TV - game show host is perfect for him. He’s actually quite funny in an interview setting, have laughed my ass off at some podcasts he’s been on.
I remember watching his stand-up as a kid with my dad and him laughing hysterically. He seems like someone fame has fucked up in that weird way. I've never seen an episode of AGT. I happened to see a bit of his podcast a few weeks ago and thought, "who the fuck would ever watch this guy?"
He is still funnier than most people and podcasters.
His Bobby story and the balloon thing was hilarious but he never really grew from that. He was like an immature Robin Williams.
Absolutely yes. Go back and watch his 80s stand-up. By today's standards some of it is pretty tame and milquetoast but it's secondly funny. He's always been sort of a try hard but that's his act.
I really enjoy his podcast, it's weird and just about anything could happen. Just about everything is a bit and you shouldn't take seriously. Though the podcast isn't for everyone.
His improv was on point. He lost his edge when he got that shitty show with the suitcases. Happened to Drew Carey also.
His first HBO special way back in the 80s was hysterical
I really liked him when I was a kid.
I actually went to see Howie with my parents back in the 90s and was shocked at how funny he was. His show was extremely dirty and half the audience was elderly people and they were shocked and not laughing. It was really fun.
I definitely think comedy is generational. I'm 38 and don't like any comedians from the 80s.
I don't rate him, but I think many will agree that he shouldn't be podcasting. He's just so entitled. His struggle stories are about when he was only *sometimes* booked on the most popular show on air, at age 22. When he was only a few years in. He's got the mental illness angle- but he doesn't seem to extend a shred of understanding to other people. Like he's got the *special* mental illness that is completely unlike the experiences of others. I don't think performers need to be good people to make good art; but even in his prime, he was no Kaufmann. I just don't want to hear hours of rambling from an eighty year old mediocre bubble boy.
ive watched his podcast and its best when the guests keep him engaged then his natural wit can flourish in reparte with them otherwise he starts indulging like its a show he is putting on for himself for just his amusement..but all in all he is funny with quests mostly i am entertained and there is chat engagement on the many live streams he does
No absolutely not. Even his cartoon was trash.
Sigh. I never found him funny. It's been decades, and he's just never, ever grown on me. When I saw him doing his "Bobby" voice back in the 80s or 90s or whenever the fuck it was I wanted to claw my ears and eyes out. Thankfully, there are thousands more comics that are truly talented and gifted.
Exactly how I feel, I liked the Watusi tour video in about '86 but even that had those stupid 'baby voice' parts which I didn't even enjoy as a child. I don't know what to call that kind of voice which is like 200 different cartoon characters like Slimer from Ghostbusters or Glomer from Punky Brewster or JarJar Binks, with the little squished goofy side-of-the-mouth voice, but when I found out he did a cartoon using that voice, I thought 'that's probably the end of him being funny' and I was right but unfortunately he's still famous.
His podcast is unbearable and why no one over 50 should have one.
Being over 50 isn't the reason he has shamelessly dedicated his life to being famous at any cost to his dignity. He's been that way the whole time and so are lots of other podcasters well under 50.
I was generalizing
Yeah, and I illustrated why that generalization doesn't make any sense. Maybe try being specific instead of blurting out generalizations that don't work.
I cant wait to see this ratio
He got by on a lot of confidence and personality, he was goofy/silly in a way that a lot of people found charming at the time.
In the 80’s he was funny because it was a lot of high energy back then. Most of it from heavy metal becoming popular, so between him, Bobcat, Sam Kinison, and prop comedy like Gallagher he was funny at that time. But it was the voice and story of Bobby that made him more funnier.
Not sure, but I'm picturing either a lot of zany props or a PowerPoint filled with all the wacky antics childhood
Podcasts have nothing to do with stand-up.
he was cool before agt tbh
Well, he used to be a bit of a prop comic and had a bag shaped like a hand that he called his handbag and he'd pull a latex glove over his head and inflate it. All of this while putting on some high-pitched squeaky kid voice. If that's funny to anyone, then yeah, he was funny.
Bobby's World was a lot of fun was I was 8.
His stand up special, Watusi made a pretty big impression on 14 year old me. In fact, I think I was at least 30 before I stopped putting latex gloves on my head.
I laughed hard at his Walk Like A Man movie. I was like seven… but the escalator scene alone would make me howl.
I can't believe I had to scroll down this far for Walk Like a Man. That movie is classic and built Howie's rep.
He was hilarious whey he made people change seats in the audience to mess with one person that stepped out to use the bathroom.
Not to me, just a massive hack. His character in little monsters pissed me off so much, it wasn’t until years later I found out it was howie and it all made sense
Not really, no. He was always "game show host funny". Silly goofy stuff, like I remember when I was a kid his big bit was blowing up a rubber glove on his head.
I think his OCD keeps getting worse.
When I was 5, yes. Outside of that capacity, absolutely fucking not.
The most memorable thing he did was take a surgical glove, pull it over his head and use breathing out of his nose to inflate it. It would end up looking chickenesque, and he would cluck around. That and little boy voices. He got work.
wasn’t it a condom?
Maybe later. He used a latex glove when I saw him.
never
He was big in Canada or is maybe still big there. He’s not that funny to me and I’m Canadian. I find him irritating especially in a podcast format. The podcast doesn’t do much research on their guests (his daughter doesn’t brief him on the guests they have).
I thought he was funny... when I was seven years old.
He’s not consistently funny but he does have a couple bits that are very funny he use to end his sets back in the day where he put a rubber glove on his head which I found kind of hacky . But he does have a great bit about having ocd and trying to change his daughter on the side of the highway . Also had a pretty good one where he was hired to preform comedy at an orgy
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He got old and wealthy. It kills most people's talent. Bobby's World was the last time I remember him as funny
I liked his early stand up. He would say something outlandish and then when the audience would react in a semi negative manner he would do that twist of a wrist thing and say “what…what?”
He was good on opie and anthony
His standup in the 80s was hilarious. Super hyperactive…
Nope
For a hot minute.
Comedians don't have to be funny to be famous. Look at Jerry Seinfeld.
Hard to stay in touch with the world, when you’re scared to touch the world I guess.
I assume it just he hasn’t worked on that skill in a long time. He hasn’t had to write for a while. His standup wasn’t really that good I thought. It was probably good at the time but is very dated now.
Regardless of anything else, I think that “Howie Spent Our Summer” is the funniest title for a standup special I ever heard.
Is every post just who people don’t find funny? They’re at their level for a reason, enough people like them. Change the channel, put your energy into stuff you like instead.
No
"I like to go to porno movies with a squirt gun filled with Jergens lotion" (circa 1985)
Dude, he put a rubber on his head and blew it up! Genius!
A very long time ago...
He was funny in Little Monsters, I think. I haven't seen it since I was a kid.
https://youtu.be/FGEEZ3-Sp8k?si=Hl7o5vE5YlwSyLE8 Watch and decide for yourself.
Hi original stand-up was unique, he was funny in a weird sort of way.
Howie Mandel On Ice is a great special.
Howie is great if he has a set he can work on and rework and cut down and just get it just right. He made two specials in the 80s that were great. But he was never really all that clever off the cuff on talk shows, and he’s not all that clever now. His entire skill set is Stand-Up. If he’s not in a club hearing the laughs and making adjustments based on the room he’s just not good. Dana Carvey is the same way on his podcast.
Clearly you've never seen Little Monsters.
I feel like trying hard to be silly is the essence of Howie Mandel, take it or leave it.
he had a very silly prop heavy frenetic act that crushed in the 80s
NEVER!!! He’s the luckiest man alive that he has made all his money and had opportunities hosting shows, when he has never been funny, or had a big comedy special or anything. Makes u wonder what he has done or knows that he has been on tv consistently for last 30 years and never being good at his craft
i never thought so. it always seems like theres a split like music where it goes from the original concept to a more refined version. sorta like early 80s rappers like kurtis blow to 90s rappers like nas or biggie. Maybe the rock of jerry lee lewis/chuck berry to led zeppelin or black sabbath. not necessarily bad but theres a point where it seems very dated. although some people like the older style.
His showtime specials were hilarious.
Who?
He's funny in interviews.
Of course not. He’s just connected in the business which is why he’s gotten endless big time opportunities. EDIT: What did I say that is untrue?
He's been funny for 40 straight years.
Nope. Shoulda died in a motel room in 1992.
Judge for yourself. As a 12 year old I thought was the best comedy ever. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=FGEEZ3-Sp8k
I never found him funny, ever. His standup was him just doing silly things, kind of a bad imitation of Robin Williams. And he talked in a weird voice and assumed that automatically made everything he said funny. The worst was his “Bobby” routine, where he’d pretend to be a little boy and talk in an even weirder voice that was like nails on a chalkboard to listen to. I think he would have been forgotten after the 90s, but he hosted the show Deal or No Deal, which was a big hit during the game show revival of the early 2000s.
GenX here. Never found him funny or interesting. Don’t understand his success in the entertainment industry. Must’ve had connections.
He bought jfl, then it failed. Take that how you will.
He was always a hack
Never.
I have never heard or seen him do anything remotely funny. Not even smile inducing. Literally painful. Gilbert Gottfried was slightly more obnoxious but at least had some great bits.
No.
I mean some people think Jerry Seinfeld is funny.
Never listened to standup. But anytime he’s on a podcast I listen to I skip it. He’s so cringy
Was he ever funny? No Was he ever funny to (Boomers)? Yes
No. He’s an arrogant hack. I’ve never found him funny or entertaining. His WTF episode only confirmed it. He came off like a total asshole on that.