Howie Mandel is sharing his grandson’s diagnosis for the first time.
The America’s Got Talent judge and his daughter Jackelyn Shultz shared they privately navigated her 9-year-old son Axel’s cancer diagnosis.
“The coping, it became really specific,” Howie said alongside his daughter during their appearance on the Sept. 17 episode of In Depth with Graham Bensinger. “Cause his issue is an autoimmune issue. It’s leukemia.—in fact, it’s the first time we’ve ever talked about it on camera.”
Howie, 69, shared that amid keeping Axel’s diagnosis private, he and Jackelyn—who is his cohost on the Howie Mandel Does Stuff podcast—had to navigate people’s negative assumptions on top of the pain of Axel’s health issues.
“We have been doing the podcast and sometimes somebody would come in to do the podcast and they’d have a cold,” Howie shared. “And she’d be wearing a mask.”
As Jackelyn explained, “And I got such hate and vitriol, and they thought I didn’t agree with their politics or whatever. And the comments in that section. In my mind, I’m like, ‘They have no idea what I’m going through right now. They have no idea I was trying to be able to go visit my son in the hospital.’”
According to Howie and Jackelyn, Axel was diagnosed with leukemia during a family trip to Hawaii, after they initially believed he had the flu. For the father-daughter duo, it was the most challenging time, but they are on the other side.
“That’s where he was diagnosed,” Howie—who is also father to Alex, 33, Riley, 31—said of the emotional moment. “And we brought him home and he’s doing good now. He’s in remission right now.”
Adding how Jackelyn’s daughter Abbey, 11, stepped in to help Axel’s healing journey, Howie shared, “He had to have a bone marrow transplant from his sister.”
And while Jackelyn—who married DJ Alex Schulz in 2013—is on the other side of Axel’s health journey, she still reflects on what they went through as a family.
“I just try to not think of it and move on,” she said through tears. “I’m fortunate cause he is doing really, really well right now. But that was the lowest point in my whole entire life.”
And while Axel is on the other side of his diagnosis, the family is still managing life after his treatments.
“To go home and look at your baby and imagine somebody telling you something horrible is wrong,” he said. “That’s really, really tough. Three, four years and it’s still a struggle. He still doesn’t have an immune system yet so he can’t go to school. He’s doing well, his leukemia is in remission, we’re just trying to build up his immune system again.”
And for Jackelyn, the family’s fight isn’t over.
“We’re dealing with the transplant,” she said. “I don’t think people realize that there’s so much that goes into treatment, and I don’t think people realize that there’s so much that goes into treatment that it’s not just the cancer alone. That it’s also the treatment and the follow up it’s a really, really, really long road.”
Amid keeping their family’s personal lives private, Howie—who has been open about his mental health—understands the importance of sharing his family’s journey.
“I also feel that there’s an upside to people knowing,” he shared. “Just because how it’s worked out for me and people knowing that I suffer and have mental health issues. People continuously come my way and say, ‘Thank you for being open about it.’ Many people are suffering with a family member or an ill child, and I know it is good for people to hear that they are not alone, and other people are going through the same thing. So, it’s important for people to hear it.”
For more stars who have been candid about their cancer journeys, keep reading…
Colin Egglesfield
The All My Children alum announced in January 2025 that he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer, his third cancer diagnosis throughout his life.
Despite the devastating news, he announced (for the third time) in February 2025 he was cancer-free following successful surgery and treatments.
“Remember, you’re not defined by any of your challenges,” he wrote in his February 2025 Instagram update. “You’re grander than it all. I’m not my fear, my anxiousness or my scars but I embrace it all because the only way to transform it is to own it.”
Gerry Turner
The former Golden Bachelor star shared in Dec. 2024 that he had been diagnosed with Waldenström’s macroglobulinemia, a bone cancer.
“Unfortunately, there’s no cure for it,” Gerry noted to People at the time. “So that weighs heavily in every decision I make. It was like 10 tons of concrete were just dropped on me. And I was a bit in denial for a while, I didn’t want to admit to it.”
Jim Beaver
The actor, known for roles in The Boys and Supernatural, shared on Feb. 3, 2023, that he had battled prostate cancer for years and was cancer free.
Ariana Madix
“I had to have a lil bit o’cancer removed from my body and lymph nodes biopsied,” the Vanderpump Rules star revealed to fans at the close of 2018. “(In the clear now!)”
Marcia Cross
The Desperate Housewives star revealed to fans in September 2018 that she survived anal cancer. “After posting a picture of myself here and uttering the words #cancer and #hairloss, I feel liberated, deliriously free and completely me,” she shared on Instagram.
Dustin Hoffman
The two-time Oscar winner underwent successful treatment for cancer, and his rep confirmed to E! News that doctors deemed Hoffman “surgically cured.”
Hugh Jackman
The X-Men star was treated for his third basal cell carcinoma back in 2014, and after his third treatment, Jackman’s rep told E! News that he’s “all good” now.
In April 2023, Hugh had two biopsies for additional basal cell carcinoma. At the time, he told fans, “If I can just take this opportunity to remind you summer is coming for those of us in the northern hemisphere, please wear sunscreen.”
Camille Grammer
The former Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star celebrated one year of being cancer-free in January. The mother of two was diagnosed with endometrial cancer back in 2013 and underwent a radical hysterectomy.
Then in 2017, Camille had surgery to remove Squamous Cell Carcinoma, a type of skin cancer.
Gordon Ramsay
Alongside a pair of photos that show a line of stitches running from the bottom of his ear to his jaw, which he later covered with a bandage, the British celebrity chef shared that he underwent a procedure to treat skin cancer.
“Grateful and so appreciative for the incredible team at The Skin Associates and their fast reactive work on removing this Basal Cell Carcinoma,” Gordon wrote on Instagram August 2025. “Please don’t forget your sunscreen this weekend.”
“I promise you it’s not a face lift,” he added. “I’d need a refund…”
Cobie Smulders
The Avengers: Age of Ultron actress battled ovarian cancer at the age of 25 and overcome odds when she welcomed two children with husband Taran Killam.
Dr. Drew Pinsky
TV host reveals he underwent surgery for prostate cancer in July 2013 and has since been given a clean bill of health.
Brooke Burke
The Dancing with the Stars cohost underwent successful surgery for thyroid cancer. The mother of four tweeted, “Thx for all the twitter love. I’m [home] recovering & resting.”
Angie Everhart
“MY DR CALLED ME ON A SAT. MORNING TO TELL ME I AM CANCER FREE!!!!! #wootothemotherf–kinhoo,” the actress tweeted after receiving the good news.
Christina Applegate
The Up All Night star was declared “100-percent clear” of breast cancer after treatment and a double mastectomy.
Michael C. Hall
The Dexter star used a hiatus from his hit series to slay Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
Michelle Monaghan
The Australian actress revealed in October 2011 that she had a cancerous mole removed from her calf after her hubby encouraged her to get the suspicious-looking mark checked out.
Ewan McGregor
The Scot is trainspotting just fine these days after having a cancerous mole removed from beneath his right eye.
Sheryl Crow
The singer beat breast cancer in 2004 with a “minimally invasive” lumpectomy and radiation therapy.
Michael Douglas
The Oscar winner declared in early 2011 that his tumor was gone and he had throat cancer “beat.”
Edie Falco
The Emmy winner whacked breast cancer in 2004.
Anderson Cooper
Surely the CNN veteran wears his SPF when he’s braving the elements now after having a cancerous growth removed from under his left eye in 2008.
Kylie Minogue
The Australian pop star underwent successful surgery for breast cancer in 2005.
Barry Watson
The 7th Heaven star was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s disease when he was only 28. He’s 50 now and looking good!
Maura Tierney
The ER fave had to abandon her role in Parenthood to fight breast cancer in 2009—but her treatment was a success and she was back on the red carpet in no time.
Sharon Osbourne
The America’s Got Talent judge was diagnosed with colon cancer while shooting The Osbournes in 2002 and used the opportunity to stress the importance of regular screenings while attacking the #@%! with chemotherapy. She was declared cancer-free the following year.
Robert De Niro
The Oscar winner took prostate cancer down, down to Chinatown, in 2003, and has been in about 400 movies since then.
Robin Roberts
The Good Morning America cohost proudly flaunted her smooth scalp while undergoing chemotherapy to treat breast cancer in 2007.
Lance Armstrong
The champion cyclist battled back from stage-four testicular cancer before winning seven straight Tour de France titles.
Melissa Etheridge
The Grammy and Oscar winner became an inspiring activist after a lumpectomy and chemotherapy cleared her of breast cancer in 2005.
Julia Sweeney
The former Saturday Night Live standout mined her breast cancer battle for comedic material that turned into God Said Ha!, her successful one-woman show that eventually went to Broadway.
