Howie Mandel Taping ‘AGT’ at Home, Says Pandemic Lesson is No More Touching

Howie Mandel is back judging “America’s Got Talent” … and while it’s gonna be much different, he’s hoping everyone is getting on his level when it comes to getting touchy-feely!!!

The comedian and famed germaphobe joined us Monday on “TMZ Live” to talk about ‘AGT’ getting back to work, shooting the show remotely. That seems to suit Howie just fine, considering the coronavirus scare they had on set last month.

You gotta see his description of the moment Heidi Klum coughed, throwing Howie into a tailspin. As we reported, ‘AGT’ lost its studio audience shortly after that, and then shut down altogether.

You’ll recall, that was around the time Howie showed up in a hazmat suit to shoot the show. We all laughed, but he says the fear was real for him … although, thankfully, Heidi ended up testing negative for COVID-19.

As for adjusting to life in the middle of a pandemic — he’s taking social distancing to the extreme, and has one major takeaway. The man who quit handshaking many years ago, says it’s time everyone else realizes, “There’s no reason to touch anybody!”