Howie Mandel says obsessive-compulsive disorder has made him miss meetings, flights and parts of everyday “life.”
The America’s Got Talent judge describes that disruption in PEOPLE‘s exclusive preview of an upcoming NOCD Podcast conversation with The Office actor Rainn Wilson.
“It is a nightmare,” Mandel says. “I can’t personify what it is.”
Mandel has previously discussed receiving his diagnosis in his 40s. Wilson says he received his OCD diagnosis at 59.
Wilson Describes a ‘Hijacking of the Brain’
“It’s a hijacking of the brain,” Wilson tells Mandel, who calls the description “great.”
Wilson remembers getting caught in recurring thoughts for much of his life, including questions about whether he had done something well or should be doing something else. Eventually, those thoughts became so persistent that he could not interrupt them.
He describes waking up with his mind already looping and going to bed with the same process continuing. Rituals and compulsions offered a temporary release, sometimes lasting only two or 20 minutes before the distress returned. He calls those compulsions “inescapable.”
Wilson Says Treatment Changed How He Responds to His Thoughts
In a separate Oct. 8 conversation on Get to Know OCD, Wilson discussed repeatedly seeking reassurance and doubting his beliefs. Speaking with psychologist Patrick McGrath, NOCD’s chief clinical officer, he explained that the symptoms happened largely in his mind, making them harder for him to recognize as OCD.
Wilson said attempts to talk himself out of intrusive thoughts had been unsuccessful. He credited exposure and response prevention therapy, known as ERP, with changing how he responded to them.
The National Institute of Mental Health describes ERP as a form of cognitive behavioral therapy that gradually exposes people to situations triggering their obsessions while helping them refrain from the compulsions they would ordinarily perform.
Mandel Has Spent Years Speaking Publicly About OCD
In an earlier interview excerpt published by Graham Bensinger on Sept. 19, 2025, Mandel discussed his experiences with OCD and the support he has received from his wife, Terry, alongside medication and therapy.
Going public about the diagnosis had initially frightened him. In his Oct. 5 interview with David Begnaud for The Person Who Believed In Me, excerpts of which aired on CBS Mornings, Mandel recalled an appearance on Howard Stern’s show.
He thought the broadcast had ended when he explained why he was struggling to touch the studio’s door handle. The microphone was still live, turning what he believed was a private explanation into a public disclosure.
Mandel remembered leaving the studio convinced that the admission would cost him his career. A stranger then approached him outside and quietly said that they had OCD too.
Mandel also told Begnaud that he once spent about half an hour repeatedly checking a locked door.
Mandel Has Discussed His Career and Mental Health
The full version of Mandel’s Bensinger interview, published Sept. 17, 2025, covers his career and rise to fame alongside his experiences with OCD and depression.
Mandel has also been diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Discussing ADHD in a separate 2009 interview with CNN‘s Larry King, he said, “I’m impulsive and I can’t focus.” He described struggling to read for sustained periods while finding it easier to perform spontaneously and stay engaged in the moment.
In the Begnaud conversation, Mandel recalled being expelled from multiple schools and leaving without a diploma. His early comedy career included a breakthrough after Joan Rivers saw him perform at the Comedy Store and helped secure an appearance on The Tonight Show.
His Advocacy Now Includes a Partnership With NOCD
Mandel is a public partner in NOCD‘s KnowOCD campaign, which challenges portrayals of the disorder as a preference for neatness or cleanliness. The company provides online therapy specializing in OCD, and Mandel has described reducing stigma and improving access to treatment as goals of their work together.
The full NOCD Podcast conversation featuring Mandel and Wilson premieres Sunday, Oct. 11.