Howie Mandel may have cultivated a signature look for himself over on America’s Got Talent in recent years, sporting wide-rimmed glasses and bald head.
However, the actor and comedian, 67, shared a new photograph that had fans scratching their heads.
His latest snap featured him covering his ears while sporting a full head of hair, not unlike his curly locks from his St. Elsewhere days in the ’80s.
The wig, peppered with strands of gray, gave him a more Weird Al Yankovic-style afro, but paired with the pained expression on Howie’s face, it gave away the nature of the Instagram post.
Howie had shared the picture with an audio clip from TikTok of a man screaming bloody murder (as some of his followers put it), and it immediately sparked a reaction in the comments section.
Some chose to focus simply on the picture, leaving comments like: “Wow love the new look,” and: “I’m getting bob ross vibes.”
Many others focused on the scream, and hilarity ensued thanks to responses like: “My grandmother is sitting next to me and her hearing aids were on high,” and: “Took longer than I’d like to admit for me to realize the screaming was coming from the phone and not inside my head,” as well as the simple: “Why are you screaming dear?”
While Howie has never explicitly stated a reason for opting for a bald style, he has said in the past that he had shaved his head rather than balding naturally.
When his career first took off in the ’80s, Howie was prominently seen with a curly do, a thick head of hair that stretched as far down as his shoulders like a mullet.
Howie was last spotted in California partying it up with his fellow AGT judges Sofia Vergara and Heidi Klum, and they were joined by Simon Cowell’s fiancée Lauren Silverman.
While Simon wasn’t seen in any of their photos or videos from the party, he was most likely hiding behind the camera instead. The judges will reunite for the first of season 18’s live shows starting on August 22 at Pasadena Civic Auditorium.
A total of 55 acts are entering the live shows this year and will be voted on by the public with the ultimate chance to win the $1 million prize and a contract to perform at the Luxor Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.
This year’s golden buzzers have gone to a mix of acts, consisting of a majority of singers and vocal groups plus one percussion group. They’ll be succeeding the legacy set by last year’s winner, the Mayyas, a dance troupe that was Sofia’s golden buzzer act.
Howie judges America’s Got Talent alongside Simon Cowell, Sofia Vergara, and Heidi Klum
