Howie Mandel On Meghan Markle’s ‘Deal Or No Deal’ Comments: ‘It Wasn’t Fulfilling For Her’

Howie Mandel has addressed the issue involving Meghan Markle after the latter slammed “Deal Or No Deal” in an episode of her “Archetypes” podcast.

The 66-year-old TV personality spoke with Us Weekly on Thursday and discussed the social media commotion regarding the 41-year-old duchess’ dig at the NBC game show.

“It wasn’t fulfilling for her,” Mandel noted after saying, “I think Meghan just said she wanted to do more.”

For Mandel, the Duchess of Sussex was not complaining about the show. He added that no one from that series complained about anything because the set “was a great workplace environment.”

“I’ve never really heard anybody complain, and I don’t think Meghan is complaining,” he said. “I don’t think there weren’t ever [any] complaints from any of the women. And unlike most shows up until that point, the ladies had more to do. They weren’t just pointing out gifts and opening [cases], a lot of times they were mic’d, and they had their input.”

The “America’s Got Talent” judge admitted that several of the “Deal Or No Deal” briefcase girls were “more intelligent and accomplished” than he was, sharing that one of them graduated law school and became a lawyer while they were filming the show.

According to Mandel, Prince Harry’s wife might have said the things she said because she was expressing “what was going on in her mind” in her podcast.

“I don’t think she’s maligning ‘Deal Or No Deal,” he said before adding, “So I don’t know why there is a big hoopla, except I have to say that me standing there with 26 women staring at me made me feel like a bimbo.”

The backlash against Markle started when she opened up about her working experience on the game show from 2006 to 2007, saying she quit because she felt she was being “objectified” and “reduced to a bimbo.”

Her co-stars quickly called out the former “Suits” actress and defended the show. One of them was Claudia Jordan, the “Real Housewives of Atlanta” alum who modeled on the game show from 2005 to 2009. She said, “‘Deal Or No Deal’ NEVER treated us like bimbos.”

Jordan also pointed out that the briefcase girls “got so many opportunities because of that show.” She added that she enjoyed her time on the game show, and it served as a stepping stone for her in the industry.

Dina Cerchione, a stylist for the NBC game show, also shared her working experience in the series. The fashion designer only had good things to say about the show.

“Everyone on the show from my wardrobe team to the producers, the crew, hair and makeup, Howie and especially the models all worked SO very hard to make the shows the best they could be for the contestants and the fans who adored it. I have thought a lot about this, I wouldn’t change a thing,” she said.