Sofía Vergara walks off ‘America’s Got Talent’ stage after another Howie Mandel joke

On Wednesday’s episode of the talent competition show, Vergara left the stage unexpectedly after fellow judge Mandel made yet another wisecrack about her newly single status. (Actor Joe Manganiello filed for divorce from Vergara in July.)

The moment came while, sitting atop a throne made of giant fake tater tots (the show’s sponsor is Sonic), Vergara was tasked with taking a lie detector test. She was already accused of lying when she gave an apprehensive yes to fellow judge Simon Cowell being “just like a sweet little puppy dog,” but was supposedly telling the truth when she said she preferred working on AGT to Modern Family. Then Mandel asked her, “Do you see anybody in the audience tonight that you’re interested in?”

Vergara appeared to take it all in good fun as the audience — including throngs of apparently interested parties — loudly cheered at the question. “That’s it,” she said, mouth agape, before taking off the lie detector cuff with a smile and returning to the judges’ table as host Terry Crews stated the obvious, “I think she’s done.”

Previously this season, Mandel caught a little heat online for poking fun at his costar’s love life, when he told a contestant, “If you’re looking for eligible bachelors, you should’ve talked to Sofía because she’s in the market right now.”

Mandel later defended himself, telling Extra, “People were online saying, ‘Too soon.’ I think as soon as you’re available, it’s never too soon. She’s fresh, people. People thought that was mean and insensitive. If you watched Sofía, she screamed after she came over to me and thought it was funny. She said, ‘Yes,’ so she’s got a great sense of humor and I wouldn’t do anything to hurt a fellow—a friend first, and a fellow co-worker.”

He added, “I think everybody watching who is available believes they’re the perfect match for Sofía. I don’t think, Sofía, to be honest…she doesn’t need my help. She really doesn’t. I believe that she’ll be fending them off. I mean, she is a great friend, a brilliant person, businessperson, a powerhouse, an amazing sense of humor. She checks every box, so whoever ends up with Sofía is going to be really, really lucky.”

America’s Got Talent airs on NBC Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET.

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