Howie Mandel’s campaign with Skechers was a match made in heaven — but he took an untraditional route to get there.
“I went to a Skechers store and I went to buy what I love and what I wear and what I find easy to do,” Mandel, 68, explained during an exclusive interview with Us Weekly, while promoting Skechers Hands Free Slip-ins. “And I was with my wife [Terry Mandel], and as luck would have it, as I go to the cash register with my purchase, the girl there says, ‘You’re Howie Mandel from America’s Got Talent.’ I go, ‘Yeah.’”
After the employee gushed that she’s “such a big fan,” she noted that Howie must be an ambassador for Skechers and get the accompanying discount. Instead of correcting her, Howie confirmed he was an ambassador — and received a kick from Terry.
“The girl goes into the computer and she goes, ‘Your name’s not in here, the ambassador list.’ And I was just embarrassed,” Howie recalled. “And I said, ‘How is that possible?’ She goes, ‘Don’t worry, don’t worry, Mr. Mandel. I’m giving you the discount.’”
Before Howie could leave, however, the employee asked if he could hold up his purchase for a picture that would be sent to the head office. Howie, still not admitting his lie, posed for the snap and departed from the store.
“My wife refers to me lovingly as, ‘You idiot, why do you need to save a few dollars on these shoes that you love, that you buy, that you’ve bought a hundred times before?’” he recalled. “‘And now there’s a picture everybody’s gonna know.’”
One week later, Howie received a call from his agent that Skechers reached out and the AGT judge insisted on sending Skechers $20 for the shoes. But it wasn’t money that the shoe company was after — they were seeking Howie out to officially become an ambassador.
Howie, who agreed to the partnership, had a conversation with the Skechers bosses and apologized for his lie.
“They go, ‘Well, the good part is that you’re actually a customer. You actually think these are incredibly comfortable. You actually used our product. And I think it’s funny that you kind of lied and you were embarrassed. And you know what your wife is right, and you should be embarrassed nationally,’” Howie recalled of their talk. “So that is the campaign now — that I am a liar and this is my community service.”
“So what is the moral of this story? Lying,” Howie continued. “I’m going to the Ferrari dealership down the street and telling them I’m an ambassador. See if it works there too. You never know.”
Howie, who’s been candid through the years about his obsessive compulsive disorder, noted that he’s a big fan of the Hands Free Slip-ins because they are “really comfortable” and allow him to avoid touching his feet. “People know I don’t shake hands and they know me for the fist bump, but they don’t also understand that I won’t touch my shoes,” he told Us. “I won’t touch laces. … I don’t wanna touch my feet, and Skechers has solved my problem. Skechers and therapy are my answers to a successful life.”
With reporting by Travis Cronin
