Howie Mandel Says His Daughter Wanted to Name Her Little Brother Michael Jackson When She Was 4 (Exclusive)
Howie Mandel Says His Daughter Wanted to Name Her Little Brother Michael Jackson When She Was 4 (Exclusive)
Toria Sheffield, Scott HuverSat, May 2, 2026 at 6:30 PM UTC
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Howie Mandel and daughter Jackelyn Shultz; Michael JacksonCredit: Jackelyn Shultz/Instagram; Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty -
Howie Mandel revealed that his eldest daughter, Jackelyn Shultz, once wanted to name her baby brother Michael Jackson because she was such a fan of the pop star
Mandel also recalled once taking her to meet Jackson and that she was too starstruck to speak
Now, as an adult, Jackelyn co-hosts the Howie Mandel Does Stuff podcast with her dad
Howie Mandel revealed that his daughter once campaigned to name her baby brother Michael Jackson due to her love of the late pop icon.
The comedian, 70, recently caught up exclusively with PEOPLE at the Michael premiere in Hollywood, Calif. During the conversation, he shared that his eldest daughter, Jackelyn Shultz, asked to name her then-unborn baby brother after the King of Pop when she was a kid.
“My daughter — who is now 41 — and I were obsessed with Michael Jackson,” he said. “When she was 4 years old, [she] wanted my son, [Alex Mandel], who's 36 — when my wife was pregnant with him — she wanted us to name our son Michael Jackson.”
Alex Mandel and dad Howie Mandel in September 2025Credit: Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty
The America's Got Talent host went on to say that he once brought Shultz to meet the late pop star, who died in 2009 at the age of 50. However, she was too starstruck to speak.
“We took her to meet him one day and she just couldn't talk, and she was terrified. And he was so sweet and wonderful with her,” Howie recalled.
“So it was an epic time where I wanted her to know that that's Michael Jackson and not her brother,” he added jokingly.
Howie and Shultz's father-daughter connection has extended into adulthood as the pair co-host the Howie Mandel Does Stuff podcast, which they started during the pandemic.
In 2021, Howie told PEOPLE that the project started as an endeavor to connect with one another.
"It came out of a necessity of trying to connect with my child. We spend hours a day trying to make each other laugh,” he said at the time.
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Jackelyn Shultz with dad Howie Mandel in 2003Credit: Gregg DeGuire/WireImage
Howie and Shultz have also been open about how their relationship wasn't always easy — especially due to the fact that they both have OCD.
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"There were a lot of control issues about me being safe, like, where was I, what did I get into, what did I touch?” Shultz said during the same 2021 interview with PEOPLE.
“He was strict. And there was a lot of hovering. We had trouble getting along in those times,” she admitted.
However, Shultz, who is also a television personality, said that it was extremely helpful having a parent who had her same condition.
"My dad is very open about going to therapy and erasing the stigma. Whenever I was upset or sad or having a bad day, I knew I could reach out,” she recalled.
Shultz went on to say that their relationship "couldn't be closer” now.
In addition to his two eldest children, Howie is also dad to daughter Riley Ehrlich, all three of whom he shares with his wife, Terry Mandel.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
