Howie Mandel Gives Mel B Pet Birds; Gets in Trouble with PETA

Wednesday on the Howard Stern Show, Howie Mandel, who works with Stern on America's Got Talent, told a hilarious story on the Stern Show about a recent pet-store bird debacle.

In true prank fashion, Mandel rents a store full of parakeets to Radio City Music Hall, and hires a man to jokingly present the birds as gifts to the cast of America's Got Talent.

"I don't like, I don't think animals should be caged, but I want them taken care of," Mandel said.

Stern remembers that day on set himself, and also being an anti-caged animal proponent, went into a tirade.

But in a turn of events, Mel B wanted to keep her bird, and in fact, took two birds.

Before the day was over, everyone takes a bird home, and Mandel ends up forking over a couple thousand dollars for his joke.

"I picture her house being f***ing chaotic. Those birds are dead," Stern said.

Mel B and Mandel later returned home on the same flight, and Mel brought the birds with her on the plane. Ironically, their flight attendant is deathly afraid of birds.

"Who's writing this f***ing joke on me?" Mandel says. "If your job description has the word 'flight' in it, the one thing you should not be afraid of, is a bird!"

In the end, lucky Mandel gets an angry call from the President of PETA, telling him he had no regard for animal.

"I think giving live animals as gifts as wrong, I really don't like caged animals," Mandel said. "I had to apologize to PETA!"

Moral of the story? Don't give Mel B a parakeet.