The comedian poked fun at his fellow 'AGT' judge's newly-single status on Tuesday's first live show.
Anything can happen on live TV -- like Howie Mandel making a clearly unexpected joke about Sofia Vergara's newly single status.
America's Got Talent kicked off its first live shows on Tuesday, and the night featured a particularly unique performance by 12-year-old ventriloquist and mentalist Brynn Cummings.
The fun, playful act involved the audience making a love connection between fuzzy puppets, and it was all good, wholesome fun. Although Mandel couldn't help but poke some fun when it came time to the judges' feedback.
After calling Cummings "adorable" and praising her act, Mandel added, "I have one word of advice. If you're looking for eligible bachelors, you should have talked to Sofia, because she's in the market right now."
The quip elicited laughs and shocked gasps from the live audience at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium, but Vergara took the joke in stride, smiling broadly and waving her hands in the air while crying out, "Yesss!"
Host Terry Crews tried to maintain decorum, yelling from the stage, "No, no, we're not doing that here!"
Tuesday's appearance marks Vergara's first TV appearance since news broke that she and estranged husband Joe Manganiello had called it quits.
As ET previously reported, Manganiello filed for divorce in July after seven years of marriage, confirming that the former couple had a prenuptial agreement in place when they tied the knot in 2015. In court documents obtained by ET on Aug. 1, Troy Christiansen, a lawyer for Vergara, submitted her own divorce response, citing "irreconcilable differences" as the reason for the divorce.
Vergara and Manganiello's relationship began in 2014 after her engagement to businessman Nick Loeb ended.
Shortly thereafter, the True Blood actor got Vergara's phone number from her Modern Family co-star, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, and flew to New Orleans to take her out on a date. They went on to get engaged after six months together. Vergara, 51, and Manganiello, 46,officially became husband and wife on November 22, 2015.
Last month, the exes gave a joint statement to Page Six, confirming their split, saying, "We have made the difficult decision to divorce. As two people that love and care for one another very much, we politely ask for respect of our privacy at this time as we navigate this new phase of our lives."
Meanwhile, a source previously told ET that "Sofia and Joe have been living separate lives."
"They have been spending time apart and focusing on themselves, their careers, and their loved ones," the source said. "Sofia has been giving her all to her new beauty brand, toty, and is very involved and excited about it. She hosted an event to celebrate the launch towards the end of June at her home in Los Angeles, and Joe was not there. She did still have a framed photo of the two of them kissing set up in a room in her home."
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