Howie Mandel remains puzzled by the unexpected departure of UFC CEO Dana White from his podcast a few weeks back.
During the bustling Super Bowl week in Las Vegas, White engaged in numerous radio appearances and podcast interviews on Radio Row. However, when he appeared on Mandel’s show, the comedian greeted the UFC head with lavish praise.
“You are not only an extraordinary businessman but also an inspiration and a philosopher. Your approach to business, interpersonal relations, and engagement with the media fills me with envy. Dana, I can’t express enough gratitude for joining us here,” Mandel effused.
Yet, shortly after this warm welcome, Dana White abruptly announced his departure from the podcast scene.
“Thank you for your kind words, I appreciate it. But I’m utterly exhausted from doing podcasts. I’ve had enough. No more podcasts for me,” White declared before exiting the set.
Uh oh, @danawhite quit my podcasthttps://t.co/uPANY4aqib pic.twitter.com/H4YxsEueyH
— Howie Mandel (@howiemandel) February 14, 2024
This unforeseen exit from Howie Mandel’s podcast raised eyebrows, and even weeks later, the comedian remains uncertain about the reasons behind Dana White’s decision not to participate in his show. Mandel acknowledged the potential for such incidents in live productions but admitted surprise at its occurrence.
“What you witnessed is what happened. I’m in the dark about it. It just occurred. I can’t offer any insight or explanation. There hasn’t been any discussion about it… I enjoy podcasting, spending quality time with my daughter. It emerged during the pandemic when we were hanging out, reaching out to my celebrity pals, and it evolved into Howie Mandel Does Stuff, which is steadily gaining momentum. We do them live, and anything can happen…” Mandel reflected on the incident.
“We’re unscripted… That’s both the beauty and challenge of what we do, and we’ll just move forward… Hopefully, such occurrences are rare. But in our line of work, anything is possible,” Mandel added regarding Dana White’s departure.
As of now, Dana White has yet to provide any commentary on the matter, suggesting that his return to Howie Mandel’s podcast is unlikely in the near future.
