The Drama Between Kelly Ripa & Howie Mandel Keeps Getting More Awkward

It's been over a week since Kelly Ripa gave Howie Mandel a compliment gone wrong, and things have been getting more and more awkward ever since. The uncomfortable interaction happened during Mandel's March 23 appearance on "Live with Kelly and Mark." Somehow, Mandel's subsequent choice to apologize for his part in the cringe-inducing moment and then take his apology back was even more uncomfortable. For the sake of everyone involved, we're hoping that the comedian is finally ready to stop revisiting the odd interaction to avoid further awkwardness — something Ripa is well-acquainted with. Unfortunately, that's not looking too likely.

When he sat down with "Live" co-hosts Ripa and her hubby, Mark Consuelos — who are both 55 years old — Mandel confirmed that he turned 70 in November. "That doesn't make any sense," Ripa said. Mandel questioned why, and Consuelos jumped in to say, "You look great." "I look great? That doesn't mean anything to me," Mandel replied. He insisted, "I don't like that, 'cause that's a caveat ... 'cause you tell somebody they're 70, and they go 'You look great —,'" before Ripa clarified, "No, we're not saying you look great for 70." "Yes, you are ..." Mandel insisted. The back and forth continued, and Mandel explained, "It's like saying, 'You're smart for a stupid person.'" Whether he was simply joking or actually felt uncomfortable with the commentary was unclear. What was clear, however, was that the whole interaction made us want to cover our eyes. And Mandel has only managed to make things worse ever since.

We've all had an uncomfortable encounter that's left us stressing afterwards. But, for most of us, it didn't happen on live television. So, it was understandable when Howie Mandel took to Instagram to address the "Live with Kelly and Mark" appearance that was clearly weighing on him with a video. "I have been debating for 48 hours whether I should make this post or not," he began. He explained that this was the first time he had apologized publicly for a joke and insisted that his response to Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos' compliments was, in fact, a joke. Yet, he clearly wasn't entirely comfortable apologizing. "Philosophically, I don't believe that ... somebody who's a comedian needs to apologize for a joke," he explained before apologizing to Ripa. He then joked, "I just have to embrace the fact that I look this good."

While Mandel apparently felt he should apologize for the interaction, he clearly didn't particularly want to. And, while it was already obvious from his video, he flat-out admitted it on "Hot Mics with Billy Bush" on March 31. "I don't believe in apologizing. ... I kind of regret making the post," he said. With regards to the backlash he's getting, he added, "I don't know when this will end, and I hope it ends soon." Hopefully his failed attempts at damage control will end soon, too, because they're only making things worse — and this has definitely become one of the most awkward talk show moments ever.