'AGT': Howie Mandel apologizes after being scolded by contestant's mom over 'rude' comments

Move over, Simon Cowell. Howie Mandel is the new resident grouch. 

The normally happy-go-lucky comedian has earned himself a "mean" reputation during this season of "America's Got Talent" and Tuesday's auditions were no different. 

"What is your problem?" Cowell asked. "We are going to call you Hannibal." (Hannibal is a forensic psychiatrist by day and a cannibalistic serial killer by night, so that's far from a compliment.)

For example, Gramps and Maeve, a granddaughter-grandfather tap dancing duo, earned praise from Heidi Klum, Sofía Vergara, and Cowell, who said "people are going to love you both." But Mandel compared their performance to "a talent show recital as opposed to a million dollar act."

"If you were on sale right now in (Las) Vegas, you would have a hard time selling a ticket," the "Deal or No Deal" alum added. 

Last week on 'AGT': Simon Cowell breaks show's rules so 9-year-old opera singer could make history

Mandel met his match, however, with one fierce mama. 

Alla Novikova returned to "AGT" to chaperone her children, ballroom dancers Michael, 8, and Angelina, 6, after previously competing on Season 11 with her other son, Daniel, 14. Alla Novikova and Daniel, a mother-son dancing duo, were eliminated during the quarterfinals in 2016 following a red buzzer and harsh criticism from Mandel. 

Mandel previously told Daniel (who was nine at the time), "When we first saw you, you were a surprise… But this is the third time I’m seeing the same moves. Third strike you're out as far as I'm concerned." Then-judge Melanie "Mel-B" Brown said, "That's harsh."

Novikova agreed. On Tuesday, she told Mandel how she really felt then: "I would like to say you are actually really, really rude. You saw a little kid performing on the stage, dancing his heart out. He was dancing with joy. He was doing his best and you were so hard on him."

More: Kobe Bryant crash widower Matt Mauser drops jaws with emotional performance

Mandel offered a sincere apology to Novikova, saying he "doesn't ever mean to hurt anyone’s feelings." He added, "I want to personally apologize to you and your son. I’m so sorry."

"We all forgive you. Everyone makes mistakes," a sweet Angelina replied. Klum quipped, "But he makes a lot of them."

With the apology out of the way, Michael and Angelina Novikova followed in their family's footsteps and performed a duo dancing act that earned lots of applause and praise. 

"That was amazing," Mandel said. Vergara added, "There's nothing bad to say. You guys were great and adorable."

"America's Got Talent" returns next week at 8 p.m. EST/PST on NBC.

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