Howie Mandel, Jennifer Aniston and the aging insult no one wants to hear Sara Moniuszko, USA TODAYThu, March 26, 2026 at 3:52 PM UTC 9 Sometimes what we think is a compliment can actually come across as the opposite. One particular phrase − "you look great for your age" − particularly stings. During a recent appearance on "Live with Kelly and Mark," Howie Mandel shared his disdain for the comment. The comedian and longtime "America's Got Talent" judge turned 70 in November.
Howie Mandel, Jennifer Aniston and the aging insult no one wants to hear
Sara Moniuszko, USA TODAYThu, March 26, 2026 at 3:52 PM UTC
9
Sometimes what we think is a compliment can actually come across as the opposite. One particular phrase − "you look great for your age" − particularly stings.
During a recent appearance on "Live with Kelly and Mark," Howie Mandel shared his disdain for the comment. The comedian and longtime "America's Got Talent" judge turned 70 in November.
"That doesn't make any sense," co-host Kelly Ripa said in amazement at Mandel's age, to which he replied, "What do you mean it doesn't make any sense?"
Co-host Mark Consuelos attempted to clarify the comment by complimenting Mandel's appearance, remarking he "look[ed] great," but the explanation didn't sit well with Mandel.
"I look great? That doesn't mean anything to me," Mandel said. "I don't like that because that's a caveat. Because when you tell somebody you're 70, they go, 'You look great [for your age].'"
He added: "It's like saying, 'You're smart for a stupid person.' 'Oh, you look smart; you seem smart.'"
Chloë Bean, a licensed marriage and family therapist who specializes in trauma, says this comment can activate shame because it "reinforces the message that aging is something to apologize for or avoid."
Even when it's intended to be flattering, "you look good for your age" can land as an insult because it "suggests a pressure to keep looking different than the age you are," Bean said, which can reinforce the idea that your value is being measured by your appearance.
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Mandel isn't alone in feeling this way.
Jennifer Aniston previously said she "can't stand" being told "you look great for your age" in a 2023 interview with British Vogue.
"That's a habit of society that we have these markers like, 'Well, you're at that stage, so for your age…' I don't even understand what it means," she said.
Commenting on someone's looks, whether in relation to age or weight, reinforces the belief that someone's appearance is the most important thing about them, Dr. Elizabeth Wassenaar, regional medical director at the Eating Recovery Center, previously told USA TODAY.
"These comments about how your body is acceptable or unacceptable, it reinforces again that you are not worth more than your body ... and that you have to present yourself a certain way for the world to find you acceptable," she said. "It just reinforces that sort of superficial, body-focused idea that we know is so painful and harmful for every single one of us, because we are so much more than this vessel that carries us."
Bean says better alternatives include options like:
"It's always so great to see you."
"You have such great energy."
"I always look forward to our conversations"
"These non-appearance-based compliments are great because they focus on qualities and connection, not what the person looks like," she explained.
Contributing: Edward Segarra, USA TODAY
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Howie Mandel and the aging insult no one wants to hear
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Source: Entertainment
Published: March 26, 2026 at 04:45PM on Source: PRIME TIME
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