Things got awkward for Howie Mandel this week on America's Got Talent.
AGT had welcomed a duo of dancing siblings, and it turned out their family has a history with the show. In 2016, their mother competed with another of her sons, and Howie had once buzzed them and criticized the child. But she got her revenge this week...
Howie Mandel faces vengeful mom on America's Got Talent
Before their act, the kids told the judges about Howie's criticism of their brother, and an amused Simon Cowell insisted that their mother come on stage and respond to Howie.
"Is there anything you'd like to say to Howie now?" Cowell asked the mother, whose name is Alla Novikova. She responded: "A lot."
"I would love to say that you are actually really, really rude," Novikova told Mandel. "You see a little kid performing on the stage, dancing his heart out. He was doing his best, and you were so hard on him," she said.
Her kids then performed after the confrontation — and got four yeses — and that's when Howie backed down. He said:
"I don't mean ever to hurt anybody's feelings. I'd like to personally apologize to you and your son. I am so sorry. Please accept my apology, please."
After a suspenseful moment, the little girl said: "We all forgive you. Everybody make mistakes." You can watch a breakdown of the confrontation via ET Canada below.
In the flashback clip, Howie is seen buzzing the mother and her son. To the dismay of the crowd, he then singles out the boy for his repetitive dancing across several performances. "Third strike, you're out as far as I'm concerned," Mandel says.
The mother and son ultimately made it to the quarterfinals in the 2016 season of AGT. For more Howie and Simon hijinx, you can click here to see the funny gift Mandel gave his co-judge after his recent bike accident.
A love that was cut short!
