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00:01So I'm heading into the actual assembly. Wow.
00:08Producers and directors. So this is a very special assembly.
00:12I always loved assembly in school because it got me out of class.
00:16Whoa! How you doing, buddy? It's nice to meet everybody.
00:21I'm Devin.
00:22Hi, Devin. I'm Howie.
00:25You have a lot of paperwork.
00:27Yeah.
00:28What's your name?
00:29Brett Lyle.
00:30Yiddish.
00:31Yeah.
00:32It's so weird to talk Yiddish to a man wearing this.
00:37Yeah, yeah, yeah.
00:38Good to meet you.
00:39Good to meet you. Who are you?
00:40I'm Liam.
00:41Liam?
00:42Yeah.
00:43That's Hebrew?
00:44Yeah.
00:45Oh my God.
00:46Wow.
00:47Did somebody say all the Jews to this side of the room and you snuck in?
00:50Turns out I'm 25% Jewish.
00:52He's 25% Jewish.
00:54When my mom found out she was half Jewish, I nervously asked her if I had to get a quarter circumcised.
00:58That's a good joke.
00:59I like that.
01:00Is that okay for this show?
01:04Wow.
01:05More people are coming to the assembly.
01:07It just seems like every time I blink there's more of you.
01:11This is amazing.
01:12This is how we do it.
01:13Good one.
01:14How are you?
01:15How are you?
01:16How are you?
01:17Nice to meet you.
01:19Did you want to say something?
01:20I was going to say, I think we're ready to get started.
01:21We haven't started?
01:22We haven't really started.
01:23We haven't even started.
01:24We haven't even started.
01:25Julia, can you open the show?
01:26Oh God.
01:27Oh, Julia's going to open the show.
01:28I've been nervous.
01:29You're nervous?
01:30Yeah.
01:31So am I, Julia.
01:32Don't be nervous.
01:39Julia, can you open the show?
01:41Oh, Julia's going to open the show.
01:43I'm a bit nervous, I do.
01:44You nervous?
01:45Yeah.
01:46So am I, Julia.
01:47Don't be nervous.
01:51Welcome to the assembly.
01:53We're a bunch of autistic and neurodivergent interviewers.
01:57We're very delighted to have you join us here today.
02:00We really are.
02:02Our rules are no questions are off the table.
02:04No subjects are out of bounds and all might happen.
02:07So could you please tell us your name?
02:09I'm Howie Mandel.
02:11And I am so thrilled to be here.
02:14This is so exciting to have a real conversation,
02:17a real honest, wonderful conversation with people
02:20who are legitimately interested in the answers.
02:23I cannot wait.
02:24And there's no rules.
02:25I love no rules.
02:27And you're also neurodivergent.
02:30Yeah.
02:31I have extreme OCD, which is obsessive compulsive disorder.
02:36And I have anxiety and I have depression.
02:40And I believe that everyone is neurodivergent.
02:45I believe that that is why it is called the spectrum.
02:48There aren't two people that think alike, that are alike,
02:52that see the world the same way.
02:54That's part of humanity.
03:00On that note, Dan, you can do the first question.
03:04Hi there, Howie.
03:06I'm Dan Arturo Martinez.
03:07Hi, Dan.
03:08I am an aspiring animator who had just graduated back in 2022,
03:12built my own computer, run my own animation software,
03:16off the shelf, of course.
03:17So can I ask you a question?
03:19Yes.
03:20Can I have a job?
03:23I could hire you when the time comes.
03:25Okay, thanks.
03:26No question is off the table.
03:31Moving on to the question.
03:32Okay.
03:33When you were in high school, you got expelled
03:35because you impersonated a member of the faculty,
03:39hiring a construction company to expand the school.
03:42Yeah.
03:43Why did you do that?
03:44I don't know.
03:47You don't know?
03:48I don't know.
03:49You don't remember?
03:50I do remember.
03:51But you asked me why.
03:52I don't know.
03:53In the moment, I thought it might be funny,
03:55and I called a construction company to get an estimate
03:59on an addition to the library.
04:01And I did that because I was going to be in math class
04:04at 3 o'clock.
04:05And I just thought it would be funny to look out the window
04:07and seeing this guy in the field measuring,
04:10and he had his clipboard.
04:11And then I saw the principal go out,
04:13and then I heard over the loudspeaker system,
04:16would Howard Mandel please come to the office?
04:18And then the vice principal said to me,
04:20Howard, did you invite somebody to put an addition
04:23onto the library?
04:25And I said, no, I was getting estimates.
04:28And then he...
04:30You were trying to ask for a quote on how much it's going to cost.
04:33Yes.
04:34Which I thought was pretty responsible.
04:35And my parents came into the office,
04:37and he explained to them what I had done,
04:39and it was kind of fun for me to watch my parents
04:42try to be serious.
04:43Like, what are they supposed to say?
04:45We told him never to hire anybody
04:47to put an addition onto the library?
04:49And I thought it would be funny,
04:51and it got me thrown out of school.
04:54So the punchline was on me.
04:56Wow.
04:58Thank you, Dan.
05:02Mariah, you are next.
05:07Is this applause?
05:08What is this?
05:09Some people have sound sensitivity.
05:10Yeah.
05:11So that's why we're trying to...
05:12Okay.
05:13I didn't know what you were doing,
05:14and they didn't tell me at the beginning.
05:15So I was thinking after every answer,
05:17I saw you all going,
05:18and that could mean, yeah, it was okay.
05:20All right.
05:21I thought he was gonna...
05:23I thought he was gonna...
05:24I thought he was gonna do something better than that.
05:27Okay.
05:28So my question for you is,
05:30you were a doctor in the medical drama series
05:34St. Elsewhere.
05:35Right.
05:36And this is a hypothetical question.
05:37Okay.
05:38So imagine a patient walks into the emergency room
05:41with a gunshot wound to the chest.
05:43They're not breathing.
05:44They have no pulse.
05:45What would you do?
05:46D5 lactator ringers, colloids, O negative blood,
05:50an intubation tray with a 22 centimeter
05:52endotraco tube, an open thoracotomy tray,
05:54and two number 16 central intravenous catheters
05:57and a mass suit.
05:58Stat.
05:59I like your medical jargon.
06:01She knows what I'm talking about.
06:04That's a wonderful question.
06:07And I don't...
06:08I hope it's not important and imperative
06:09for anything that's gonna happen today.
06:10Jenny, you're next.
06:15Well, it's nice to meet you.
06:20It's cool to see you in person.
06:21Nice to meet you.
06:22I've been sitting beside you.
06:23Yeah, I know.
06:24I can't believe it.
06:25Is this real life?
06:27It is.
06:28I was scared to let the world know
06:32that I was autistic because in the past
06:35I have been bullied for it,
06:36and I was scared as an adult
06:38to get bullied for it again.
06:40But I've learned to love and accept myself
06:42for where I am with it.
06:44I was curious, what made you decide to share
06:48with the world that you had OCD?
06:50I didn't.
06:51I didn't.
06:52I did it by accident.
06:54I had been diagnosed with OCD
06:57and didn't want to tell anybody for fear
06:59of how people would react.
07:01I wouldn't be able...
07:02I thought it would embarrass my family, my kids.
07:05People wouldn't give me work anymore.
07:07I would be bullied.
07:08But I was on Howard Stern,
07:10and I didn't want to touch the doorknob to get out.
07:15And I asked if somebody could open the door
07:17because there's germs,
07:18and they thought it was funny.
07:19And they said, no, you open it.
07:20And I went to grab a Kleenex to open the door
07:22with a tissue, and they took the tissue away from me.
07:26And then I went to do it with my shirt, and they knocked it away.
07:29And then I finally...
07:30I panicked, and I was having heart palpitations
07:32and a panic attack.
07:33And I said to him, I said, you know,
07:36Howard, I've been diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder,
07:40and if you don't open the door and let me out,
07:42I can't breathe right now,
07:43you're going to have to call 911.
07:44This is legitimate, and I take medication.
07:47And they opened the door, and they went out in the hall,
07:50and I could hear the broadcast.
07:52And I thought we were in a commercial.
07:54And I didn't realize it.
07:56I just broadcasted that whole thing publicly.
07:59And I was so embarrassed, devastated,
08:04and I walked down into the street,
08:06and I didn't know where to turn.
08:08I was so afraid of what was going to happen next.
08:10And some guy came up to me in my periphery and said,
08:13are you Howie Mandel?
08:14And I said, yeah.
08:15He goes, I just heard you on Howard.
08:16And I thought, oh, my God.
08:17My heart sunk.
08:18Like, I just thought this is the beginning of it.
08:20And he just said two words to me.
08:22He went, me too.
08:23And I went, what?
08:24And he goes, I have obsessive...
08:26Thank you for talking about it.
08:27And I went, okay.
08:29So the first time I ever heard somebody else,
08:31it was the first connection.
08:32That made me feel a little bit better.
08:33And I started getting mail.
08:34I got flooded with a ton of mail,
08:36of people who said that they felt more comfortable
08:38that I mentioned it.
08:40And that's when I decided to be open about it.
08:42And my mission is to remove the stigma
08:46from anything that feels different.
08:51I'm sorry that happened to you.
08:53But glad that you're supporting the OCD
08:55and sharing it with the world and inspiring them.
08:57And I think you're a nice guy, so...
09:00I think you're a nice lady.
09:01Aw, thank you.
09:03Dylan is next.
09:09Hi, Howie.
09:10Hi, Dylan.
09:11My question for you is,
09:13I heard you shave your head because it makes you feel clean.
09:16Is there anywhere else that you shave for the same reason?
09:20Well...
09:21Uh...
09:22We can go on to the...
09:23Go on?
09:24You said nothing's off the table.
09:25No, I don't shave any other place.
09:26And if I did, this lady right here said I'm not allowed to tell you.
09:41You can do whatever you want.
09:42Whatever you want to ask me, I'm here for you.
09:46Uh, Julia, you're next.
09:47Julia's next.
09:48Um...
09:49Were you ever worried that if you got support or treatment for your OCD, it would impact people's
10:04like view of your humor, like it would make you less funny?
10:07That's a great question.
10:08So my whole life, I've been...
10:10It's not fun.
10:11Uh, you know, I'm being totally serious now.
10:14I suffer from OCD.
10:16I don't just have OCD.
10:18I suffer and it's really, at times, really debilitating.
10:22At times, it's really hard for me to even be out or amongst other people.
10:26And I have...
10:28OCD also gives you these weird, reoccurring thoughts that don't really exist.
10:33And...
10:34And neurosis.
10:35And it's...
10:36It's...
10:37It's mentally painful for me sometimes.
10:39Uh, because I'm my age and I, you know, I come from the 50s.
10:43And, uh, people did not talk about mental health.
10:47You know?
10:48And so I was afraid to go seek help.
10:51When I finally went to seek help and they said that they...
10:55They were going to medicate me so that I would feel different.
10:59I was afraid because I had made a career out of, um, kind of just being myself.
11:07That they were going to change myself and therefore my career would change.
11:12So it did scare me a lot.
11:16But then the pain of what I was feeling outweighed the fear, right?
11:23So the...
11:24I...
11:25I decided to not suffer.
11:26And as it turns out, I can still have a career.
11:28So it hasn't changed anything?
11:30I think my comedy is a lot more calm because I don't have that underlying nervous fear.
11:38People always thought I was on drugs.
11:40I was never on drugs.
11:41But because I move the way I move, when I'm really nervous, that's how I...
11:47That's how it shows itself.
11:49So I think I look different and act a little bit different.
11:52But you know what?
11:53The fact that I'm still in a position where people invite me to do a show like this...
11:58It's worth it.
12:00Yeah.
12:01And thanks for opening up and sharing your OCD with everyone.
12:06Okay, I shaved my balls.
12:16Sorry.
12:19Sorry.
12:24So this is like a face mullet.
12:26What?
12:27It's a chin wig.
12:28A chin wig.
12:29There we go.
12:31I remember growing up as a child watching you on Bobby's World.
12:35Bobby's World, for those that don't know, is a show that I did.
12:38I'm the voice of...
12:40I do it all.
12:41I do the voice.
12:42I was going to ask if you could still do the voice of Bobby.
12:48This is the same voice that I did.
12:50I don't know if any of you are old enough.
12:52A gizmo, right?
12:53A gizmo.
12:54On Gremlins.
12:55So do you remember?
12:56He went...
12:57It's the same voice.
13:01I was also Skeeter on the Muppet Babies.
13:05Skeeter!
13:06The same voice.
13:08All right.
13:10Margot, you're up.
13:16Hi.
13:17I grew up with Bobby's World, loved it as a kid, and also I checked my online DNA, and I have 11 Mandels in my family tree.
13:26So it's possible that we are distant relatives.
13:30Shh.
13:32It's my cousin.
13:33Yes.
13:35Is this a family reunion show?
13:39Hi, cuz.
13:40Wow.
13:41My question for you is, what is your biggest insecurity?
13:45My biggest insecurity?
13:47My biggest insecurity?
13:48Yes.
13:51That I'm offending or hurting somebody just by anything that I say or something that I've done.
14:00I will promise you that even after this show, I will go back to wherever I am, at the hotel or wherever, and I will toss and turn for hours going,
14:12did I say something that I probably, did I do something offensive?
14:16Did I make somebody uncomfortable?
14:18And this is the dichotomy of who I am, because I'm in the public, and I probably come in contact with more people in my life than the average person comes in contact with.
14:30And I'm always concerned that I let people down, or I offend, or that they didn't get anything good.
14:38That's why I'm even looking back at production sometimes, because I go, you know, are you getting anything that's useful, or are you wasting your time with Howie Mandel?
14:49Thank you so much for sharing that. I can relate to a lot of what you said.
14:58And next up is Devin.
15:02Devin.
15:05Oh, Devin, I met him earlier.
15:08Hi, Devin.
15:10Hey, how are you? How are you doing?
15:13I'm doing great. How are you?
15:15I'm doing good.
15:16Good.
15:18My question is, I was asked what I wanted to be.
15:30Yeah, I can't hear you. I'm old, and my hearing is bad. So you were asked...
15:36Asked what I wanted to be. I asked when I want to be a performer.
15:41You want to be a performer?
15:43You want to be a performer?
15:44When did you know you want to be a performer?
15:50You're asking me, when did I know I wanted to be a performer? Is that what you're asking me?
15:53Yes.
15:54Yes. Okay. So the truth is, I didn't know that I wanted to be a performer. I was always getting in trouble. I was always getting thrown out of school.
16:03And what happened is, I went to a comedy club in Toronto called Yuck Yucks. And I was seeing a show. I was watching a show. And then somebody said, if anybody who wants to try this, wants to get up on stage, try it. And a friend that I was sitting with dared me. Said, Howie, I dare you to get up.
16:21And I didn't even have an act. I was just really scared. If you look at old tapes of me, if somebody shows you, if you go on YouTube and you look in the 1980s, Howie Mandel, I'm really scared because I don't have an act.
16:33And I'm standing on stage and I'm going, Okay. Okay. Okay. All right. All right. And they start giggling at me because I'm afraid. And I start to go, What? What? What? Because I didn't know what anybody was laughing at.
16:43And because I told you I have those mental health problems, I carry rubber gloves with me because I was afraid of germs. And I took it out of my pocket because I was scared. I pulled it over my head. And when I started breathing, the fingers were going up and everybody started laughing like that.
16:57And then I popped it off my head and everybody applauded. And I walked off and the guy said, Come back tomorrow. So I came back the next day and did the same thing over and over.
17:06That did change your life, basically. It changed my life. That night changed my life. And I said, This is what I want to do. From that time on, if I want to do something, I do it. Whatever you want to do, you try. It's fun to try. Trying is what life is about. Look at us. We're doing a show together right now.
17:25Now, Howie and Devin are on the assembly. Yeah. Yeah. Let's hear it for us.
17:33Thank you for your question. Next up is Austin.
17:39Hi, Austin. Hello.
17:45I'm just wondering because I know throughout your whole career, you've changed up your facial hair many times.
17:51So why did you get rid of your goatee so many times when that's basically your trademark?
17:58Why did I shave?
18:00Yeah.
18:03Most of the time, it was an accident.
18:05I had a little goatee.
18:07Soul patch.
18:08I think that's what it is.
18:09He's right.
18:10You know, I wanted to make it a perfect triangle.
18:13Yeah.
18:13And then sometimes it wasn't so perfect, so it went away.
18:16But you want to hear a funny story, which is when Deal or No Deal took off, it got so popular
18:22that somebody sent me, I wish I had it here, ladies go to these places to get waxed.
18:29Do you know about that?
18:29Oh, I don't know.
18:30Wait, I think I know that.
18:33Should I know that?
18:34So, what?
18:35Should I know that?
18:36I'm telling you that.
18:38I don't know.
18:39I'm not talking about anybody here, but they have their choices.
18:42They can get a Brazilian.
18:45They can get a landing strip.
18:52Yeah.
18:52They sent me a menu, and on the menu, there was a Howie Mandel.
18:56There was a little triangle.
18:59And I'll tell you something, that meant more to me than a star on the Hollywood Walk of
19:04Fame.
19:06Who's the next question?
19:12It's in my mind.
19:13I don't want to know your, like, facial hair.
19:15Okay, that's okay.
19:15All right.
19:17I was literally waxing poetic.
19:20All right, Andrew, you are next.
19:24Hi, I don't know how to follow that question.
19:26I'm sorry you have to come after that.
19:28Okay, if you had a time machine, what person would you bring back to the present?
19:46My father.
19:48Oh?
19:51My father was my, uh, was my biggest fan.
19:56My father came to every show I did, every amateur show, everything.
20:00He was always on the side, and I would tell a joke or say something, and it didn't matter
20:05if the audience was laughing.
20:06I would turn, and I'd see my father in the wings, and he would laugh.
20:10And my father died very young.
20:11He died at 63 years old in 1989.
20:14Mm-hmm.
20:15That was devastating.
20:16And that's when, that's when I thought about quitting comedy, because it was hard to go and try to be funny and care about laughing when you lost the closest person in your life.
20:31I thank you.
20:32Uh, Alexis, you're next.
20:43Um, my question to you is, what is the darkest thought you've ever had?
20:48Well, here's my, here's my fear now.
20:59I don't really want to answer that because I, uh, I, I don't want to trigger myself, you know?
21:07And I don't want to, I don't want to bring it up.
21:09I don't want to trigger anybody who's watching.
21:11That's kind of a scary thing to do because the thing about OCD is you can't make that thought stop.
21:18So if you bring that thought up and then you're triggered and it just keeps going, then, uh, and I'm, right now I'm just concerning myself.
21:28I don't want to trigger myself.
21:29Yeah, no, that's totally fine.
21:30And go down a wormhole that I'm not, I'm having a good time right now.
21:33Yeah.
21:34And I don't want to know my, I don't want to bring up my darkest thought.
21:37No, that's totally fine.
21:38I'm afraid to do that for myself.
21:40Yeah.
21:43Next is Alex.
21:46Thank you very much.
21:48Okay.
21:48First off, I noticed that you were fidgeting a bit and I brought a fidget toy that's packaged unused if you would like it.
21:54Yeah.
21:54Would you like it?
21:55Yeah.
21:55Okay.
21:55Awesome.
21:55Here you go.
21:56Of course.
21:57That's so sweet of you.
21:58Um, so my question for you is I, I also have OCD.
22:02I'm like a major germaphobe.
22:04Like I see bugs crawling over me all the time kind of thing.
22:06I'm sorry.
22:07Um, well, I'm chilling with it now.
22:09You know, I just, I've learned to like work with it.
22:10Instead of against it.
22:12And so my question is for you, what is one positive you find with your OCD?
22:16Well, I don't think that it's a gift.
22:19You know, I don't, if it's a gift, I'd like to return it.
22:22But I, if I could not have it, I would be thrilled.
22:27Uh, I think that, um, it's become part of the vernacular of our society.
22:34You know, people come up to me and they go, oh yeah, I, me too.
22:37I'm a little OCD.
22:38And that's because they're persnickety and they want to, they want a clean desk or they want
22:42everything in order.
22:42If you legitimately have OCD, diagnosed OCD, um, you can't control your thoughts.
22:51And even when you know that your thought makes no sense, that what I'm doing and what I'm
22:56thinking is not the way, is not reality and you can't stop that, that's debilitating.
23:03It's terrifying.
23:04It's terrifying.
23:05It's terrifying.
23:05So out of that terror, I can't imagine anything that, anything positive.
23:13If there is one positive, it's that other people share this same debilitating issue and you
23:20know that you're not alone and there's some comfort in that.
23:23Yeah.
23:25Thank you, Alex.
23:27I love this.
23:28You haven't aged today, by the way.
23:44You've only seen me for an hour.
23:45Why would I have aged?
23:47I'm old.
23:48I'm the oldest one here, probably.
23:49Who's the youngest person here?
23:51I'm 18.
23:51Alex?
23:52You're what?
23:53I'm 18.
23:53You're 18.
23:54What?
23:55I'm 18 as well.
23:56You're 18 as well.
23:57I'm going to be 70 this year.
24:00Oh, wow.
24:00You beat me.
24:01I know.
24:02I'm tall for my age.
24:05Christian, you're next.
24:09How we?
24:11Christian.
24:12Yeah.
24:14I've been dying since I've been, you know, watching Deal or No Deal.
24:18I love the show, by the way.
24:20Thank you, buddy.
24:21Can you tell me the question?
24:23I've been dying here.
24:24Let's hear it.
24:27Christian?
24:30Yeah.
24:30I'm only going to ask you once.
24:34This is a big decision.
24:35This question can change your life.
24:45It's all or nothing, Christian.
24:48What's your last name?
24:50Armstrong.
24:50I'll take the deal.
25:10Deal.
25:11Deal.
25:12Next up is Kai.
25:14How are you?
25:21I'm doing great.
25:22How are you?
25:22Good, good.
25:25My question is, if you could telepathically speak into the minds of this current generation,
25:32what would you say?
25:32Don't worry.
25:39You know, I think that worry takes up too much of our lives.
25:44And I think we just have to be, and we just have to do, and we just have to be who we are.
25:51And we can't worry about, and we can't worry about what other people think, we can't worry about what other people are doing, we can't worry about what other people have that we feel we don't have.
26:01All the things that I was worried about when I was young, and all the things that I was scared about, and all the things that I was concerned with, they don't mean anything.
26:12I think it's really important just to enjoy this second, this moment, right now, and just, we're all together, we're all safe, we're all happy, we've all been fed, we have a roof over our heads, we're good.
26:31That's my advice.
26:32You're welcome.
26:36That is it for our questions.
26:38Okay.
26:40Dylan, would you like to close the show?
26:43Sure.
26:49Howie Mandel, thank you for coming on the Assembly.
26:54What did you think of this experience?
26:57It was wonderful.
26:59It was amazing, and I'll tell you why, because this is, in my history in show business, the most honest, beautiful, original, authentic conversation I've ever had on camera.
27:16You know, I learned that humanity and all, all humanity is beautiful, and wonderful, and joyful, and we should all, each one of us should be celebrated, and is a star.
27:30Where do you want me?
27:42In the middle?
27:44In the middle?
27:45Awesome.
27:46Awesome.
27:47Awesome.
27:48Oh, my gosh.
27:49Howie Mandel, I like it.
27:50What?
27:51Say what?
27:52Oh, a horse.
27:53Good job.
27:54Yeah.
27:55Yeah.
27:56Oh, we can do this.
27:59Thank you, everybody.
28:00I love you all.
28:01I love you.
28:02I love you.
28:03I love you.
28:04Howie.
28:05Oh, thanks for having me.
28:06Have a step.
28:07Anytime.
28:08Thank you so much.
28:09This is Zucre.
28:10My back is up.
28:11It's a long time to sit for an old man.
28:14I got a fidget thing out of it.
28:17I really needed it.
28:18She knew it was like timing.
28:20I'm sorry about shaving my balls.
28:38To be continued.
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