From PEOPLE Magazine Click to enlarge
As a judge on America's Got Talent, Howie Mandel usually wears black. But at home in Malibu, the comedian's ready to lighten up. "We wanted the house to have an open, fresh feeling," he says of the 6,000-sq.-ft. Cape Cod-style home he and wife Terry created with interior designer Richard Savage. "It makes the house feel happy, and that's how I feel in my life." His six-bedroom home, which sits on an acre of lush grass, was designed so that almost every room has an ocean view. In the backyard, Mandel, 56, created an outdoor party haven with lounge chairs, fire pits and a pool with a jacuzzi. The setting is such a hit with his kids (Jackie, 27, Alex, 22, and Riley, 19) that Alex secretly invited rapper Skee-Lo over last year to film his music video "Burnin' Up." Mandel only found out when a location company called to ask if he would rent it out again. "When I saw the video, I was shocked to see several hundred kids partying in my backyard!" he says. "I guess I should take it as a compliment." It's that laid-back attitude that Mandel, who also hosts FOX's flash-mob reality show Mobbed, is famous for. "I never dreamed I would be able to own a house like this and look out at the ocean while I eat my breakfast," he says. "It's pretty amazing."