TV star Howie Mandel in heated exchange with TV hosts over ageist comment: 'What do you mean?'

Actor and TV star Howie Mandel has had an awkward exchange on a famed chat show while discussing his recent 70th birthday.

The Canadian-born actor and comedian turned America's Got Talent judge took offence at comments made by TV hosts Kelly Ripa and her husband Mark Consuelos.

Mandel was a guest on Live with Kelly and Mark when attention turned to his milestone birthday last November. That's when things went awry.

Watch the video above.

"You just celebrated 70 years. You're 70 years old," began Consuelos.

"Yes, I'm 70," said a smiling Mandel, to cheers from the audience.

"It doesn't make any sense," quipped Ripa.

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"What do you mean it doesn't make any sense?" said Mandel, clearly offended.

"'I look great?' That doesn't mean anything to me," he began as the two hosts realised what they had done.

"No, no, no, no, no. I don't like that because it's a caveat. Because when you... tell someone you're 70 and they say, 'You look great...'"

Ripa then interjected, saying, "We're not saying you look great for 70. You look great..." before she was cut off by Mandel.

"Yes you are. Without saying '70'."

As the two hosts backtracked and spoke over each other, things went from bad to worse.

"We are saying you look great and I don't believe you're 70," Ripa continued, proving Mandel's point. Meanwhile, Consuelos interjected repeatedly with "I'm saying that".

"It's like saying, 'You're smart for a stupid person'," Mandel continued before adding, "It's like saying I don't look good."

"No, you do look good," said Consuelos, before Mandel finally answered, "Thank you".

After calming down, Mandel said he checked himself out in a mirror before coming on set, before declaring, "I'm gorgeous".

When asked how he stayed fit, Mandel said Consuelos' friend, the actor Jerry O'Connell, "has got me into the most ridiculous workout I've ever done in my life".

"I swim, but this is what I do. He bought me these swimming cables... which I tie onto my ankles and then I attach them to whatever is at the side of the pool.

"Then he gave me these frying pan paddles and I swim for an hour and go nowhere.

"I got so lost in it, it's really good, because of the resistance..."

He said he even travels with them and sets them up in hotel pools.

Mandel started his career in the 80s, and rose to fame after voicing the role of Gizmo in the 1984 hit film Gremlins.

He also appeared in 137 episodes as Dr Wayne Fiscus in the popular 80s medical drama St Elsewhere.

He has been a host on America's Got Talent since 2010.

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