Who Is Howie Mandel’s Wife? Terry Mandel’s Life, Career, Family, and Marriage
Who is Howie Mandel’s wife? Her name is Terry Mandel, and she’s been by his side for decades—long before game shows, viral clips, and red-carpet interviews. They’ve been married since 1980, share three children, and are now grandparents. While Howie is the face you see on television, Terry has built her own professional life behind the scenes and has played a steady, practical role in keeping their family grounded through fame, travel, and the nonstop pace of entertainment.
Who is Terry Mandel?
Terry Mandel (also known as Terry Soil before marriage) is best known publicly as the wife of comedian and television host Howie Mandel, but she isn’t simply a “celebrity spouse” who appears for photos and disappears. Over the years, she’s been described as a television producer and talent agent, with experience in entertainment projects and the business side of the industry. She has also been credited in profiles as a key influence in Howie’s career decisions—someone who helps him see opportunities clearly when he’s weighing big choices.
What stands out most in stories about Terry is the tone: people who talk about her (including Howie) describe her as sharp, funny, and steady—someone with her own personality, not someone living in the shadow of a famous partner.
How Terry Mandel and Howie Mandel met
Howie and Terry’s origin story is refreshingly old-school: they met as teens in Toronto and became young sweethearts. In interviews and profiles, their early connection is often framed as a “we knew each other before any of this” kind of love story. They weren’t introduced at an awards show. They weren’t matched by publicists. They were kids in the same world, and they grew up together.
One detail that gets repeated often—because it’s so on-brand for Howie—is his story about borrowing a bit of money from Terry for fries when they were younger, joking that he’s been “paying her back ever since.” Whether you take that as a literal moment or a comedic way of describing their dynamic, it captures what fans tend to believe about them: their relationship has always included humor and a sense of “we’re in this together.”
When did Howie Mandel marry Terry Mandel?
Howie Mandel married Terry Mandel on March 16, 1980. That date is consistently reported in major profiles, and it means their marriage has lasted through multiple eras of entertainment—stand-up tours, television hosting, career reinventions, and the kind of fame that changes how you move through the world.
Staying married in any field for decades is rare. Staying married for decades in entertainment—where schedules are chaotic and the spotlight can be relentless—is rarer still. The fact that they’ve done it has made Terry a point of curiosity for many fans: people want to know who the person is that kept the relationship steady while Howie’s career grew bigger and bigger.
Howie Mandel and Terry Mandel’s children
Howie and Terry share three children:
- Jackelyn
- Alex
- Riley
Their kids are frequently mentioned in family profiles, but the Mandels have generally avoided turning their children into a constant public storyline. You’ll see them appear for major milestones and occasional family moments, but not in a way that feels like the family is being used as a brand.
In more recent coverage, the couple is also described as grandparents, which fits the timeline of a long marriage that began in 1980 and grew into a multi-generation family life.
Terry Mandel’s career and work life
Terry has been described in multiple profiles as a producer and talent agent. That matters because it puts her in the “builder” category—someone who understands entertainment from the inside, not just as a spectator. It also explains why she’s often portrayed as a strong sounding board for Howie’s professional decisions.
If you’ve ever watched how a long-running television career works, you know that the visible part is only a fraction of the job. Behind every on-camera host is an ecosystem of managers, producers, agents, schedules, travel logistics, and constant negotiation. Terry’s background in the industry helps explain why their relationship has the kind of practical strength you don’t always see in celebrity marriages. She understands what the work demands, and she understands the pressures that come with it.
Some profiles also note that the couple has collaborated on entertainment-related projects over the years. In long marriages, especially among people who work in creative fields, that kind of collaboration can either create friction or deepen the partnership. In their case, it’s often presented as another example of shared humor and shared problem-solving.
How Terry has supported Howie through anxiety and OCD
Howie Mandel has spoken openly for years about living with OCD and anxiety, including fears tied to germs and contamination. That openness is part of why audiences feel they “know” him beyond the jokes. In many reputable profiles that discuss Howie’s mental health, Terry is presented as an important source of stability—someone who understands what he deals with privately, not just what the public sees.
This is an underrated part of why people remain interested in Terry. Being married to a high-profile entertainer is one thing. Being married to a high-profile entertainer while also navigating mental health challenges—while raising kids, handling career shifts, and maintaining a household—takes a different kind of patience and teamwork.
From the outside, their marriage often reads like a balance: Howie is high-energy and public-facing, while Terry comes across as the calm center—direct, funny, and grounded enough to keep real life from turning into an endless performance.
Public moments that show their dynamic
Over the years, Terry has appeared in interviews or been mentioned in them often enough that fans get a consistent impression: they tease each other, they speak with honesty, and they don’t try to sell a “perfect couple” image. Instead, their marriage is typically framed as a long partnership built on friendship, humor, and the ability to ride out tough seasons without making everything a public spectacle.
That tone matters. Plenty of celebrity couples present a polished story until something breaks. The Mandels have been more open about being human—about awkward moments, stress, and the reality of decades together.
What makes their marriage last
No two long marriages work the same way, and it would be lazy to pretend there’s one magic formula. But when you look at how Terry and Howie are described across the most consistent profiles, a few themes keep coming up:
- They chose each other early and built history long before fame changed the stakes.
- They share humor, which helps them handle stress without turning every issue into a crisis.
- Terry has her own identity and her own competence, which prevents the relationship from becoming one-sided.
- They protect their private life enough to keep family from becoming a constant public product.
That combination—shared history, shared humor, separate identities, and reasonable privacy—tends to show up in a lot of durable relationships, famous or not.
Common questions about Howie Mandel’s wife
What is Howie Mandel’s wife’s name?
Her name is Terry Mandel.
How long have Howie and Terry Mandel been married?
They married on March 16, 1980, and have been together for decades.
Do Howie and Terry Mandel have kids?
Yes. They have three children: Jackelyn, Alex, and Riley.
What does Terry Mandel do?
She has been described in major profiles as a television producer and talent agent, and as someone who has influenced Howie’s career decisions behind the scenes.
Quick facts about Terry Mandel
- Known for: Howie Mandel’s wife; producer and talent agent
- Marriage date: March 16, 1980
- Children: Jackelyn, Alex, Riley
- Relationship origin: Toronto-area teen sweethearts
The takeaway
Howie Mandel’s wife is Terry Mandel, and she’s been his partner since their early years in Toronto. They married in 1980, raised three children, and built a long marriage that has endured through fame, career pivots, and the challenges Howie has spoken about publicly, including OCD and anxiety. If you’re looking for the simplest truth behind the search, it’s this: Terry isn’t a mystery figure—she’s the steady presence in a marriage that has lasted long enough to become part of Howie Mandel’s story.
