Howie Mandel Says His Daughter Wanted to Name Her Little Brother Michael Jackson When She Was 4 (Exclusive)

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

NEED TO KNOW

• 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 Mandelrevealed that his daughter once campaigned to name her baby brotherMichael Jacksondue to her love of the late pop icon.

The comedian, 70, recently caught up exclusively with PEOPLE at theMichaelpremiere in Hollywood, Calif. During the conversation, he shared thathis 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.”

TheAmerica's Got Talenthost went on to say that he once brought Shultz to meet the late pop star,who died in 2009at 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 theHowie Mandel Does Stuffpodcast, which they started during the pandemic.

In 2021,Howie told PEOPLEthat 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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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 aboutgoing to therapyand 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.

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May 04, 2026

Howie Mandel Says His Daughter Wanted to Name Her Little Brother Michael Jackson When She Was 4 (Exclusive)

Howie Mandel revealed that his eldest daughter, Jackelyn Shultz, once wanted to name her baby brother Michael Jackson because she was s...

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Beau Starr, Actor Known for “Halloween” and “Goodfellas”, Dies at 81

Actor Beau Starr, known for his roles in Halloween and Goodfellas, has died at age 81

NEED TO KNOW

• He died in Vancouver, Canada, on April 24, according to his brother, fellow actor Mike Starr

• Beau had a decades-long career in film and television, appearing in projects including Speed and Cinderella Man and popular series such as Knight Rider, MacGyver and The A-Team

Beau Starr, an actor best known for his roles inHalloweenandGoodfellas, has died. He was 81.

Beau died peacefully of natural causes on April 24 in Vancouver, Canada, according to his brother, fellow actor Mike Starr, perTMZ.

Mike, 75, called his brother "very unique and special,” adding that Beau helped raise him and was a tremendous influence on his life, per the outlet.

Beau appeared as Sheriff Ben Meeker in the horror filmsHalloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers(1988) andHalloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers(1989), according to hisIMDb bio.

He was also cast inMartin Scorsese's 1990 classicGoodfellas, and was known for his long-running role in the showDue Southas Lt. Harding Welsh.

Born on Sept. 1, 1944, in Queens, N.Y., Beau spent several years on the New York Jets practice squad and spent two seasons in the Canadian Football League, according toDeadline.

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He made his onscreen debut in the sketch comedy showBizarrein 1979 and went on to appear in episodes of shows includingTJ Hooker,Cagney & Lacey,Three's Company,Knight Rider,Remington Steele,The A-Team,MacGyverandNight Court,per the outlet.

Beau also had appearances in films includingSpeed,Devil in a Blue DressandCinderella Man.

News of Beau's death was initially shared onInstagramby actor Christopher Serrone, who appeared with Beau inGoodfellas,on Saturday, May 2.

Christopher said that Beau's brother Mike had asked him to announce the sad news.

“It is with a heavy heart I'm here to inform everyone of the very sad passing of Beau Starr. @mikestarractor asked me to make the announcement,” he began in his post, which was accompanied by a carousel of images of Beau.

“Beau enjoyed a rich … meaningful life. He was a son, brother, father, grandfather, actor and NFL/CFL player. Please take a moment to help me remember a great guy. RIP,” he added.

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May 04, 2026

Beau Starr, Actor Known for “Halloween” and “Goodfellas”, Dies at 81

Actor Beau Starr, known for his roles in Halloween and Goodfellas , has died at age 81 NEED TO KNOW He died in Va...

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“How Vulnerable Are You To The Mandela Effect?”: 15 Mind-Bending Questions To Test Your Memory

Will your brain pass this Mandela Effect test? The Mandela Effect is a strange phenomenon in which people seem to remember things differently from how they actually were.

In this quiz, you’ll face 15 mind-bending Mandela Effect questions designed to test how accurate your memory really is. From iconic pop culture icons like Britney Spears to famous characters like Pikachu, these examples will challenge everything you think you know. 🤯

Some of these will feel obvious, while others will completely mess with your brain.

It’s time for the real question: Will your brain pass this Mandela Effect test? Let’s find out…

In case you missed it, check out our longer versions here –Part 1,Part 2, andPart 3.

🚀 💡 Want more or looking for something else? Head over to theBored Panda Quizzesand explore our full collection of quizzes and trivia designed to test your knowledge, reveal hidden insights, and spark your curiosity.💡 🚀

Image credits:Vitaly Gariev

What is the color of Pikachu’s tail?

In this scene, what does the Evil Queen say?

In Oops!… I Did It Again, how does Britney Spears appear?

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Pick the correct logo.

Which of these is the real color of Cinderella’s dress?

Locate South America on the world map.

What is the line that Darth Vader says in The Empire Strikes Back (1980)?

What color is Uncle Sam’s hat?

🧠 Curious to see the rest? Take the full quiz here 🧠

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May 04, 2026

“How Vulnerable Are You To The Mandela Effect?”: 15 Mind-Bending Questions To Test Your Memory

Will your brain pass this Mandela Effect test? The Mandela Effect is a strange phenomenon in which people seem to remember things diffe...

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Scott Patterson Admits He 'Was Not Interested' in Watching“ Gilmore Girls ”While Making It

Scott Patterson says he never watched Gilmore Girls while filming due to long workdays and a lack of interest

NEED TO KNOW

• He began watching the show for his podcast, I Am All In, and says he now understands its fan appeal

• Patterson praises the show's creators and Lauren Graham's comedic talent, calling the series funny, sweet and unique

Scott Pattersondidn't watchGilmore Girlsuntil over 20 years after the show first premiered.

During a recentinterview with Mike Jerrickon FOX 29's late-night program,MIKE, the 67-year-old actor opened up about his time on the show and why he chose not to watch it while it was airing.

“Because I made the sausage for 14 hours a day, I didn't want to eat it," Patterson explained. "I just was not interested in consuming it after I did it for so long. When you're on a TV series, you barely have time to eat, sleep or take a shower.”

Patterson played a diner owner named Luke, the on-and-off love interest ofLauren Graham's Lorelai Gilmore, in the fictional Stars Hollow.Gilmore Girlsran for seven seasons, from 2000 to 2007.

However, in 2021, theSullivan's Crossingalum launched his podcast,I Am All In with Scott Patterson, in which he watched the series for the first time and shared his commentary and off-camera moments with listeners.

“I called iHeart, made a deal and that was my pitch. I had never seen the episodes. They said ‘Really?' They felt sorry for me, so they gave me a show because they felt bad for me," he told Jerrick.

When he ultimately did watch the show for the podcast, though, he “loved it.”

“I understood what the fans were talking about. It's funny, it's endearing, it's sweet, it's unusual, it's abstract, it's experimental,” Patterson said.

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“Amy Sherman-Palladino and her husband Daniel — they are two very unique creative minds and you know, they're once in a generation people," he added. "They created it, and their unique background, it comes out of their backgrounds and how they grew up, and it's just so rife with comedy."

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Patterson compared Graham's character to “a Borscht Belt comedian” who is “going through her life in small town Stars Hollow, and we're all the beneficiaries of that.”

“I was just sort of an anchor for the show, and to be a straight man to her jokes," Patterson said. "But she's delivering 50 jokes an episode and people understand half of them and the other half they look up and have to rewatch and now they know what the joke is."

One of the most enduring things about the show, according to Patterson, is that the audience “sees it from a different point of view now and they relate to other characters as they get older.”

“That's another reason why people continue to rewatch and discover it. They watch it at 16, they relate to certain characters, they watch it at 30, it's a completely different experience for them, they watch it at 50, it's a completely different experience,” Patterson said.

Along with Patterson and Graham,Gilmore Girlsfeatured Alexis Bledel, Jared Padalecki, Milo Ventimiglia, Matt Czuchry, Melissa McCarthy, Kelly Bishop and Edward Herrmann, to name a few.

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May 03, 2026

Scott Patterson Admits He 'Was Not Interested' in Watching“ Gilmore Girls ”While Making It

Scott Patterson says he never watched Gilmore Girls while filming due to long workdays and a lack of interest NEED TO KNOW ...

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Jon M. Chu, Director of “Wicked” and “Crazy Rich Asians”, Admits He Once Didn’t Think He Deserved to Be in Hollywood

Jon M. Chu revealed he once doubted himself and thought he didn’t deserve to be in Hollywood

NEED TO KNOW

• His film, Crazy Rich Asians, became the highest-grossing romantic comedy of the 2010s, earning $239 million

• Chu is next set to direct a Britney Spears biopic, a live-action Hot Wheels movie and an animated Dr. Seuss adaptation

Jon M. Chu, the directorial force behind some of Hollywood's biggest movies over the past decade, recently admitted there was a time when he was struggling to find his footing in the industry.

Chu, 46, recalled that time in his career while discussing how he chooses film projects during the Canva Create 2026’s Building Worlds: From Script to Spectacle panel at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles on April 16.

"And it either sparks me or not, or I have to go on some journey to find if I connect with it. Other times I'm like, 'I have to tell this story,' " theWickeddirector said about how imagination guides him.

"That's how I start. Because without that, I can't tell you what colors. I can't tell you what we should build for and it doesn't mean anything to me," Chu continued.

He also pointed out that "every project's different" and "I remember in what I realized, as I had done this over and over again, you are so conscious of ... doing it because you're not like the greats, but the greats are the ones that inspired you. You want to be like that so badly you don't have quite the language or the tools or the ability of the craftsmanship yet, how to express that."

He asks himself "Why am I the person to tell the story?" typically at the start of his creative process. However, sometimes he hasn't felt sure that he "deserved" to be the person doing so.

"When you said my list of movies, it lit up and you saidCrazy Rich Asians. That was a big point in my life. I didn't think I deserved to be in Hollywood," he said. "I was discovered and I got very lucky. And when you win the lottery, you think you actually don't know how you got there. So you actually can't win the lottery again."

Chu added, "I had to learn how to win in a different way or how to tell my story. ... As I go through my career, that moment, choosing to do something that only I could tell was a scary ... I was like, 'No one's going to see this movie.' I actually told my team, I was like, 'I'm going to make a movie. I'm going to take five years and I'm not going to make you any money.' Luckily they were fine with it."

Since his team "believed" in both him and "this Asian culture, diaspora from all around the world," Chu trusted himself and "knew that audience, whether you were Asian or not, would fall in love with the things that I fall in love with my family, the meals that we eat, the conversations we had, we could make fun of ourselves and how we are, and we had all walks of life in there."

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Crazy Rich Asians, after it premiered in theaters in 2018, made $239 million worldwide on a $30 million budget, perBox Office Mojo. The film starredConstance Wu,Henry Golding,Awkwafina,Gemma Chan,Michelle YeohandKen Jeong.

From there, Chu went on to direct 2021'sIn the Heights, 2024'sWickedand 2025'sWicked: For Good. The firstWickedmovie was nominated for Best Picture at the 2025 Oscars.

As for what's next for the acclaimed director, Chu signed a multiyear film and TV deal with Paramount Skydance in December.

He has also been attached to direct aBritney Spearsbiopic for Universal, a live-actionHot Wheelsmovie and an adaptation of Dr. Seuss’Oh, the Places You'll Go.Ariana GrandeandJosh Gadhave been linked to voice in the latter animated film, according toVariety.

"Never been more excited to go places. We are dreaming up something very very special for you," Gad, 45, shared in an Instagram post in July. "Warner Brothers Animation has put together a truly all-star team. I've been dying to work with Ariana, Jon, Jill, JJ, Gregg Taylor, Bill Damaschke, and Pasek and Paul for ages."

"🧚🏻 Oh, the Places You'll Go ! 💭" Grande, 32, captioned her Instagram post.

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The film is slated for a 2028 release, and will be Chu's first foray into directing animation.

Read the original article onPeople

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May 03, 2026

Jon M. Chu, Director of “Wicked” and “Crazy Rich Asians”, Admits He Once Didn’t Think He Deserved to Be in Hollywood

Jon M. Chu revealed he once doubted himself and thought he didn’t deserve to be in Hollywood NEED TO KNOW His film...

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