The ‘It’ Factor: Howie Mandel The Newest ‘America’s Got Talent’ Judge

Howie Mandel can’t put his finger on it, he just knows when he’s in the presence of someone with the ‘it’ factor. The veteran Canadian comedian joins Piers Morgan and Sharon Osbourne on the judging panel for the latest season of America’s Got Talent, premiering Tuesday night with a special two-hour episode on Citytv. Performers this season include singers, dangers, contortionists, jugglers, and magicians, all vying for their chance to perform on stage as well as a US$1 million prize. Mandel spoke with CityNews by telephone last week about what he feels he brings to the show, how his experience as a performer shapes the way he judges talent, and what’s in store for viewers.

Q: What do you hope to bring to the show this season?

A: You know, I do think that I have something to add. I’ve been on stage and entertaining for over 30 years, so I do have, if nothing else, the empathy for anybody that stands on that stage and tries to be accepted, which I do each and every night in everything that I do. I think I have an eye for what it takes to have success, in whatever it is that you’re doing, entertaining in general.

Q: As you say you can understand what it’s like, certainly if you’re thinking back to the early days of your career and wondering whether people will accept you and what you have to offer.

A: That still goes through my head today. It doesn’t ever change. I mean, ultimately, if you stand up in front of a group of people, you’re just begging to be accepted and loved by strangers from the first day you get up, and that prevails in your mind each and every time you get up. I get it. We’ve been touring with the show and going to every market to find finalists and people that’ll end up on the live show, and 99.9 per cent of the stages that we were auditioning people on are stages that I play fairly frequently so I know not only what they feel like but I know geographically what it’s like to stand in that spot where they are.

Q: Speaking as a performer, do audiences change from place to place? Do you find some places more accepting than others?

A: You know, people are people. I can tell you that as a Canadian who’s gone to the United States. Even though I started here at Yuk Yuk’s and showed my wares here in Toronto, those kind of wares were accepted in L.A. and obviously, you know, I’ve done okay. So, humans kind of identify with something, and I believe that that’s luck. I don’t think anybody shows up on stage on any amateur night, in any vein, because alone they believe that what they have to do should be seen by more. You show up because somebody, even if it’s just your Uncle Nate at the dinner table, said, ‘You know that’s good. You should really spread that.’ Then the luck of the draw is, you show up and it does hit home for a lot of people and you become a little more viable. That being said, [fellow AGT judge] Piers [Morgan] and I have very different taste and respond very differently to things. That’s the fun of the show, and the fun of people voting, discussing, and yelling at the TV when it’s on. It’s very subjective. Who’s to say this is better than that?

Q: How does your judging style differ from that of Piers and Sharon?

A: I’m honest, but Piers can be a lot more direct and biting than I would care to be, because I’m a performer and know how it would feel. But he’s very honest, he’s a journalist, and he says it like you would read it. I try to soften the blow. Sharon has many years of managing experience in this business, but she’s also a mom so she can be kind of mothering and sweeter. But also, the difference is, I will embrace silliness a lot easier than Piers would. I like silly, and I think there’s a void in the entertainment universe right now for somebody that is maybe even certifiable. Growing up there were people like, and I don’t know if they could win the contest but I think there is a place for somebody like a Tiny Tim, or an Andy Kaufman, or a Professor Irwin Corey. With any of these kind of personalities it is questionable whether they were brilliant or were they serious, and was that them? Without making fun of them, they did have a place, they had careers, and if you believed that what they were doing was insane, it was certainly interesting and watchable. We have people like that where somebody will show up on stage kind of like that, in their own uniqueness, and I’d embrace that and go, ‘You know what? It is interesting, it is funny, it is unique. You deserve to at least be seen by the public and let them vote.’ Whereas Piers might say, ‘That’s just insane. It’s not talent.’ Which is not wrong, but he would not put something like that through whereas I might.

Q:  What are you looking for in a competitor?

A: You can’t put a word on it. It’s the ‘it’ factor, the ‘wow’ factor. You go, ‘I don’t know what it is. There’s just something about you and I want to see you again. If you were on television, I’d tune in and watch you. If you were performing somewhere, I’d buy a ticket.’ As a comedian I’m cognitive of the fact that even at a sold-out concert there’s still a million people in the town that didn’t buy tickets to see me, so everybody has different taste. I can only speak for myself and go, ‘There’s something special about you that hit a nerve in me, and you deserve to come back.’ There’s no word to describe what that ‘it’ is.

Q: I realize you can’t give too much away but can you give me an idea of what we can expect this season?

A: I’ve been told by Piers and Sharon that this is the highest quality of talent that they have seen in five years. We were lucky enough to see that in every category, from singing, to dancing, to variety, to magic. And also, the most outrageous that they have seen. The danger factor has been upped and there’s been a lot of blood shed on the stage, beyond tears, and that’s just crazy. I can’t tell you how many times where we’ve had to duck behind our desks for fear of our lives.

Q: So these are talents gone wrong?

A: Wild. Not wrong. Wild. There’s nothing wrong when it comes to talent.

America’s Got Talent, hosted by Nick Cannon, premieres with a special two-hour episode Tuesday, June 1 at 8pm ET/PT (7pm CT, 9pm MT) followed by the Wednesday edition on June 2 at 9pm ET/PT/CT (8pm CT, 10pm MT).