Howard Stern...unemployed

Who still has Sirius?

Cruel asshole. Too late now to make amends to all the people he abused on his show. Fuck him.

Elder Gays:

Why did this man have such a huge following?

I come from a family that didn't really listen to that kind of stuff, but I do remember him moving to (then known as) XM Radio, which helped satelite radio grow a bit (but still not quite ubiquitous.....hmm)

He was one of the first "shock radio" personalities.

Yeah. He pioneered shock jock radio and paved the way for the likes of Opie & Anthony, Wendy Williams, and others.

R4, you're an idiot

The term is Shock Jock

I'm surprised Howard Stern is still around. He has been coasting on Gen X fumes for 20 years. I doubt anyone under the age of 40 knows who he is

R3 Howard really brought behind closed door humor and conversation to the mainstream. He was funny, gross, juvenile, self-centered, everything you see on social media today.

His show was like Twitter, Instagram, memes, reality TV all in one before it was a thing.

Private Parts is still one of my favorite movies. I don’t know how accurate it was, but he came across as a generally down to earth and likable guy, even if an asshole.

The biggest hemorrhoid contest was the most hilarious thing I had ever watched as a teenager. I had never been so close to passing out from laughter.

But those days are over. Howard turned into Larry King and lost his core audience yeaaars ago, maybe decades.

It's time.

R3 Because his show (long ago, sadly) was insanely funny. Love him to death. From Fartman to one of the best interviewers ever.

For some reason it always pops into my head every now and then when someone on the show mentioned they saw High Pitch Eric eating at Wendy’s. They said he was accidentally eating the wrapper every time he took a bite from the burger.

It always makes me wonder how many people are doing that without realizing it.

I'm shocked he held on to the point he was canceled; I'd have thought he had more pride than that.

I laughed so hard I cried at the edited Ed McMahon audiobook. Same goes for Richard Simmons Calls a Redneck.

R13 I think he’s so far gone it was inevitable.

I know a lot changed in the 2010s. He brought some producer in who got rid of a lot of the old crew.

And the other thing is, everyone aged. Howard was old but he always had a younger crew or team around him and they aged.

I always had a crush on Will Murray! I don’t know how old he is now but he’s probably in his 40s or 50s at this point.

[quote][Stern] will likely cut some sort of deal for Sirius to keep his catalogue upon his exit, sources said.

What's his "catalogue" worth? Maybe it has worth as a donation to a museum of broadcast communications or something similar, but that hardly seems a huge tug of war parting gift to a man worth an estimated $650M, whose Sirius salary was $100M. What's the burning demand for decades worth of this awful shit? I'd pity anyone who had to catalogue the stuff.

And Jared!! So hot!

Does anyone remember this?

JD HATED Jared! Absolutely despised him cause he was so jealous and I’m sure JD was bullying him. So Howard convinced them to stay handcuffed to each other for 24 hours.

He used to have Trump on his show all the time.

Stern has been mopping up Trump for years. He also went after BUSH over the Iraq war. He will be missed. Incredible interviewer...

This smells like a Howard plant!

Did he piss off Lumpy?

I read a short article on this earlier and it said he has tons of writers. I don’t remember the number but it was more than 50. Why would a radio show need that many writers?!

I listened to him all through the 90s and he was hysterical. But then came the divorce, moving to satellite, Jackie leaving and bringing on awful Artie Lange, I stopped listening for good in 2003.

R22 Lots of famous comedians have had writers. Bob Hope had an entire room full of filing cabinets filled with jokes that he had purchased or commissioned from people. When you think about the hours of content Stern has had to create over several decades, it totally makes sense that he has a ton of writers, especially once he was making “fuck you” money.

If he leaves Sirius, does Spotify throw money at him?

The man is 71. Not every person in show business wants to work until he dies.

R11- Ge was at times EXTREMELY funny back in the 1990’s.

He once said something about Harvey Firestein that was very homophobic, but even at the time I had to laugh. He said -You’d think all that semen would clear up his throat.

Maybe you love Howard and maybe you don't, but this would be the second major Trump-critical media figure who was fired out of fear of the government. This is bad.

R3 I started listening to Howard when I was 12 years old in 1982. I discovered him long before he became the phenomenon he became. On WNBC in New York.

He just always had a talent for making compelling radio. And he was able to take ANY person and make them an interesting character on the show.

I moved to LA in 1992 just as he was taking off there. Those were the golden years with Billy West.

R16 the catalog is worth 0.0 unless Howard releases the restrictions he has on it. There's so much they can't play right now.

Nothing to do with Artie, which is half the '00s.

No stuttering John.

Nothing to do with Alison.

Most of Billy West's bits are forbidden.

Howard is embarrassed by his past. I'd say about 75% of the pre-2010 audio is forbidden by Howard at this point.

R27 unfortunately since the election Howard went silent on Trump. Hasn't been talking about him at all.

[quote] But those days are over. Howard turned into Larry King

I think that pivot was actually pretty impressive. I enjoy his long form interview with legendary musicians.

He preps, puts them at ease and they just talk about things the average fan would want to know.

R29

Artie is on tons of the replays on 101

So, basically he’s retiring with a deal for his back catalog that will keep paying him millions til he croaks.

The Dolly Parton audiobook still demolishes me

Blue Iris calls some redneck old lady

R34 God damn I love nigger cock, hehe

Early 90s, whenever he had the Funny Gay Males in the studio, genuine hilarity ensued.

It's incredible that was a third of a century ago.

Howard is one of the best interviewers out there. Seriously. Go back and listen to his Hillary Clinton interview, it's amazing.

The show is now nothing but guitar chat and Angry Ronnie.

I don't have Sirius but I remember his show was on E! ages ago...

I watched his movie and till this day, when i see that actor whose name I don't know but he was pig vomit and that's what I call when I see him in other films or tv shows lol

He should trash that wig too.

He does have very good interviews and he would ask very, very naughty questions and they would be answered! Asking actresses about doing anal etc

He’s a terrible fucking interviewer.

“I bet you did that because you had some kind of hidden anger towards your Dad, right? Right?”

I have never understood anointing him as the “most brilliant” or “best” interviewer ever. There are plenty of bad or boring interviews. I always thought he was best with rockers in his age group or people who were naturally funny, interesting or smart in any interview

R24 I doubt it. His audience is gone. He became what he used to make fun of in the 80s and 90s. He once said Joe Rogan couldn’t be a radio host because he had no education or experience and didn't work his way up. He’s that out of touch.

Don't worry OP, he'll be fine. Just Google Howard Stern Hamptons and see his little summer get away.

He doesn’t need to work—he likes to work. His old interviews with Trump have been pretty damning. Trump can’t do his usual go-to of “fake news” either.

He’d be much better doing an occasional interview show like Letterman’s on Netflix.

I seriously doubt OP ever listened to him.

What makes his interviews compelling is the format... every other show is constrained by short segments of specific duration with long commercial breaks in between. Howard is the only one who can go two hours with zero interruption... it allows for a great conversation. Yes, sometimes there's a little too much psychoanalysis (mommy and daddy issues) but all in all his A lister interviews are masterclass. You cant argue with it.

R49 I love how Howard can go right from interviewing someone like Elton John or Dolly Parton to taking a phone call from Wendy the Retard talking about shitting herself at Cracker Barrel. No one else on the planet can do that and make it seem so normal.

This is the Sun reporting lol. He is not getting cancelled, his 500 million dollar contract is up and he is deciding if he wants to resign or just retire. He has been carrying Sirius XM subs for decades. The only reason I kept mine. He is beyond wealthy. I think he has a 200 million dollar home in florida and probably wants to retiire. Robyn has been ill for years so she is probably done as well.

[quote] The Dolly Parton audiobook still demolishes me

The Sarah Palin one was brilliant.

Best fucking news I’ve heard in two years! AND cancelled! Not retired, cancelled! Hahahahhaa

I remember when he interviewed Kelly LeBrock before she had even fully sat down his first question was “Have you ever had sex with a woman?” She seemed rightly annoyed. I thought it was really lowbrow to start like that and I remember a lot of interviews like that at the time.

[quote]“I bet you did that because you had some kind of hidden anger towards your Dad, right? Right?”

Streisand told him : "Howard, you should change your therapist"

Not cancelled -

According to insiders who spoke to The U.S. Sun, Howard Stern’s contract with SiriusXM is set to expire this fall, and the jock may not return for another term. Sources claim that while SiriusXM plans to make an offer, they don’t expect Stern to accept it due to financial disagreements. “Sirius and Stern are never going to meet on the money he is going to want. It’s no longer worth the investment,” an insider revealed.

Seemingly, it’s not just finances at play. According to the same outlet, Stern’s outspoken political views, especially his consistent criticism of Donald Trump, could be another factor affecting renewal talks. “If Sirius isn’t going to give Stern a good offer, I don’t think it would have anything to do with his ratings,” said one source. “It’s more likely everything to do with the political climate,” they added.

His previous contract was 500 million, Sirius will not pay him that level again. Stern knows he can go be a podcaster and make Rogan money, do his own schedule and do it all from his 200 million dollar compound in Florida.

He's 71, not like he's young and needs the job.

I never buy into reformed asshole media personalities.

He doesn’t need the job or the money is true. However, he needs the spotlight, attention and adoration.

He did a live show yesterday during his summer hiatus to help promote a new Metallica channel on Sirius XM. He didn’t need to do this. He has also done random, spontaneous live shows in summers past. Fame is a drug and his audience, who adore him (and kiss his ass) feed him.

. He could have a successful podcast if he chose to work. How much more money does he need? I keep reading blind items that he and his wife have split. Are they true?

Meh - he may be a asshole, but his political leanings are clearly away from the rethugs and magats for the most part.

Anyone in media who opposes the rethugs is a good thing.

howard will go insane without working. i don't believe he'll ever retire. he's such a miserable person.

r62 not really. He barely works now. Three shows a week, summers off and I don't think he is in the studio half the time. Robyn almost never is there. He can probably sign a 100 million dollar podcast deal and do a show once a week from his Florida compound. He is very much into painting. I think Ozzy's death hit him hard. Is his mother still alive?

I think she's still alive.

Yes, R53, Ray is still alive at 97, but she's not well.

Great publicity campaign for when he soon comes back to the show. Combining with Cobert scandal. Is generating interest and will help spike the show's ratings.

It's always been weird when people crawl up his ass to praise him for being against trump now. As if he didn't spend decades promoting and normalizing the worst parts of him

R67, they treated him as a Whack Packer. Cut the crap.

I don't remember him making fun of trump like he did the whackpack. Trump was the man to them.

I hope Dana Plato fillets his evil withered balls in hell forever.

After hearing Howard threaten to quit every time his contract ran out, going back to the 1980's, I figured the time he finally decided to sail off into the sunset was due. He used to make fun of the other "old" DJ's like Imus, and I kept wondering why he didn't see that he was part of that club after he hit his 60's and still sat in front of a microphone.

I was a hardcore listener from his WNBC radio days until about 4-5 years ago. I loved the show for many years but I found myself listening less and less, then questioning whether to continue paying for Sirius. The energy had changed and many of the skits they aired were just too juvenile for the age group pushing them out. Sal and Richard still playing penis games into their 50's was cringe. The factor that made me move away from the show was mostly Ronnie. When he was given so much time to be on mike and talk about his comedy show, his young girlfriend, him braying like a donkey during his strip show appearances, his sickening old man sex stories. Gag me! A deep part of me hopes that Gary, Sal, Richard, and the office staff are frantically worried about what the future holds for them job-wise.

I still listen to the old shows - there are countless clips and full shows all over Youtube. I can listen to KC Armstrong, Crackhead Bob, Elephant Boy, Miss Howard Stern, etc.

The show is off on summer break since mid-June, so no comment from Howard. The blurb says he was canceled but I know that Howard is an egomaniac who boasts he is King of All Media, changed the face of radio, no one can surpass him, etc. so when he comes back he will say it was HIS decision to leave, not that Sirius let their golden cash cow go.

I think there’s a lot of misread of Howard here. He’s not like Imus or Opie & Anthony, even at his worst. Those guys were about cruelty disguised as comedy. Howard was always in on the joke. Actually, a lot of time, Howard WAS the joke, and he’d be the first person to say so.

And as far as him going soft or selling out…no, he didn’t. He evolved. He stopped being angry and started being curious.

If more Boomers had been like him, we’d be in a better place.

[quote]He’d be much better doing an occasional interview show like Letterman’s on Netflix.

He might want to renew with Sirius now just for spite, but one-on-one streaming specials are probably in his future, especially if he's still of the opinion that there's no radio show without Robin.

I wonder if he will start a podcast if he decides to walk away from Sirius gracefully. That would be interesting after hearing him make fun of many folks who moved to being podcasters back in the early days of the practice, before people like Joe Rogan exploded on the scene. I forget who it was, probably some comedian, but Howard went on a rant that podcasting was a waste of time and for people with no talent. Okay, grandpa.

If he does do a podcast, Howard will yap about him being an innovator and bringing something new to the table even after his Sirius show barely being interesting anymore.

I used to be a big Stern guy going back to the E! show and then for years thereafter. But I started to fade out and I stopped listening maybe 8 or so years ago (maybe more). What was the show like at the end?

R32 Are they about Artie though? Or just bits where you hear his voice?

Who here will be adopting Chris Wilding, the former staffer and insatiable bottom?

Is that asshole Gary still his producer? The biggest cunt in radio.

I listened to Howard in the 90s and watched his show on E. He could be funny, he could be a jerk.

I was listening to him one morning while walking to the train station (I was living in Riverdale in the Bronx at the time) and it was the morning of the Columbine school shooting. Howard asked if the shooters were raping any of the girls. It was Robin or Fred who kept telling him there weren’t any reports of sexual assault, just murders.

Howard kept saying how he just didn’t get that. He said if you were just going to go completely off the rails, why not rape the hottest girls too?

I still remember pulling my headphones off and carrying them in my hands for a few minutes so I didn’t have to listen to that anymore. I didn’t listen after that.

[quote] Trump was the man to them.

No he wasn’t.

R79 is clutching her pearls.

Stern fans are claiming that he’s too busy getting a new facelift and his wig reattached. lol

People are convinced that Howard and Ralph were lovers.

Arrivederci, motherfucker!

What people? Ralph gay, or course. But lovers?

Why would Ralph lower himself to a troll like Howard, when he was getting it from John Stamos?

R84 Respectfully, it's "Arrivederci COCKSUCKA!"

R81 is a big fan of rape advocacy

The only thing good that came from his show was the ambiguously gay KC

Peak KC could get it.

He denied ever saying the N word on the radio when he appeared on The View a few years back, He said it like 4 million times.

I haven't heard about him for years but I remember that Linda Ronstadt was the only famous person to call out his misogyny, and Magic Johnson his racism. Never understood why everyone else acts like he's a comic genius above reproach. Guess immaturity and shock jock-ness covers a multitude of sins, so to speak.

r92, Linda was actually calling out his racism after made fun of the Mexican American singer Selena a day after she was murdered.

wNNNNNNNNNNbc

R1 I still have SiriusXM in my cars and honestly never listen to him. He's old and had a good run. Time to retire.

At what point was the limo driver allowed to take over the show?

Radar and The Sun? Legitimate sources of information. Don't hold your breath. If he's gone at the end of his contract, it's because HE chose to leave.

Sorry to burst your bubbles, ladies.

I appreciate how his existence helped free speech, but I'm sure he's in the Epstein files or someone else's equivalent somewhere. Your mind doesn't go to things like what r79 said during tragedies unless you're a pretty twisted guy. And with his money, no way he didn't do some of it.

R82- Does he wear a wig?

[quote] What people? Ralph gay, or course. But lovers?

Tabloid, Reddit, Twitter. This has been rumored for years.

[quote] I'm sure he's in the Epstein files or someone else's equivalent somewhere

Howard!? Howard can’t even touch a doorknob. He barely leaves the house. Too many germs.

Yes, r88. That’s right. Got any other stupid takes?

[quote] Linda was actually calling out his racism after made fun of the Mexican American singer Selena a day after she was murdered.

Linda, that fat stupid cow, suddenly played up her Mexican heritage to go Karen on Robin. When the show went to break, Linda apologized to her and tried to be her friend. Robin told her to go fuck herself.

The Stern show was politically incorrect. That was the point. It was Datalounge on the radio.

Howard’s too busy painting portraits of his ten million cats to do some silly radio show.

I used to love the show. I don't hate it now, but I loved the insanity and how wrong it was, but Howard evolved and outgrew all of that, which is okay; people get to evolve. Once a year, I listen to the old Mark Harris episodes, which are pure genius. I also like the old Eric the Actor episodes.

Also, Howard never uplifted Trump. He was just another character on the show—High Pitch Eric in a suit.

What will Robin do?

Robin is a wealthy woman and will retire when Howard does. I believe she still has cancer, but it's manageable. Fred and Gary can also retire. It's people like Will, Sal, and Richard who will have to figure out what's next.

R103 Linda had released the biggest selling Mexican album eight years prior.

A lot of people called him out in the 90s. Roseanne, Rosie O Donnell, Paul Mooney were others, Howard lampooned celebrity culture all the time,

As a listener in the 90s, you never would have thought that he would become the crème de la crème of interviewers and would wind up getting Presidential candidates and people like DeNiro and Streisand on his show, Or would be attending parties in the Hamptons.

He was filled with hatred and anger in his younger days because he wanted to be a beautiful, rich celebrity living the good life. I think he also wanted a younger, more beautiful wife. He ended up with the life he wanted and got soft.

He's too old to make fart jokes anymore, so now he just whines about what he watched on TV the night before.

I don't think Mr. 95-people-on-staff-for-3-mornings-over-6-months is promoting the Metallica broadcast because he's nice. He has an interest in it.

[Quote] Yes, [R88]. That’s right. Got any other stupid takes?

Guess it’s a “stupid take” to take you at your words, r102. Thanks for the update. Duly noted for future reference.

R112, get that sand out of your vagina.

They make it sound like he is being fired. He held Sirius XM together. If he leaves, I imagine their subscriber base will drop. I know I will drop it, I only kept it for the Stern Show. You all act like he created Trump. He had him on the show for amusement. When Trump was running against Hillary, Stern told him to his face he was voting for Hillary because he believed she was better for the country. He is not getting fired, not unemployed, He is leavnig with several hunderd million dollars in his wallet.

R107- I just asked Alexa- Robin is worth an estimated $75 million. She is really rich.

He is being fired. And those of you pretending that he is *not* being fired are delusional.

And sure, technically, it will be "his choice." In the same way that it was technically the 9/11 jumpers' "choice" to leap from the World Trade Center.

R116 is an idiot.

He made $100 million a year for five years to work three days a week for a few hours from home. Wow. Sirius would be idiots to give him another deal like that. How could it be worth it to them?!

I was under the impression that he got 100 million a year for the whole package. That 100 million covered the running of the show, salaries, and production. For instance, his actual annual take-home salary was probably 25 million a year, and the other 75 million was for everything else.

Oh ok R119. I thought that was just his salary.

He has had an incredible career. Now he needs to step away from the microphone. Maybe do Hollywood Squares or Password. He's worth a ton of money.

He’s not retired since 1998?

That means Howard is a HERO R116!! 🙏❤️🫶⛑️🪖🏯🇺🇸

Howard could do a podcast if he wanted to. This entire story is coming from a bullshit source though. Maybe Sirius is planting it trying to subtly let him know that if he doesn’t take less money they want renew his contact.

I wonder what would happen if Howard dropped his ego and brought Jackie and Billy back. They’re all already doing Howard Stern memories podcasts. Get the originals back and see how it goes. Jackie is as outrageous as ever.

I’m guessing Robin has her own contract too, right? They have to renewed the show and do his contract first before hers? I guess they need to have a show for her to be signed for. Beth is probably the best and the worst thing to happen to him. This all started when he went to America’s Got Talent and had to tone down his image. Then he started kissing ass.

Jackie’s departure was the beginning of the end.

Negotiations aren't complex on Stern. Howard, Robin, Fred, and Gary (the big 4) all have the same agent. Both Jackie and Artie had outside agents, and I think Jackie even represented himself for a time.

Jackie had a lawyer who he claims advised him to do a walk out. Jackie was shocked when they wouldn't let him return.

They don't have the same agent anymore, R128 - their longtime agent Don Buchwald died last year.

The only person that I hope has no stress after walking away from the business is Fred. Howard and Robin could get annoying with his ego and her soulless, robotic laughing. Fred never worked my nerves.

[quote] Maybe Sirius is planting it trying to subtly let him know that if he doesn’t take less money they want renew his contact.

That’s exactly what’s happening.

R117, take notice, fanboy.

Horrible, horrible news!

Now where will JD get money to pay online Chaturbate girls to smear peanut butter on their vaginas and have dogs lick it off???

I've felt like this was his last contract, and that he's going to retire for a while.

What made me think of that? Getting rid of the news. That was a crucial part of his show for 1,100 years, and Robin can't do it anymore. I feel like her health is WORSE than they're letting on, and THAT'S going to be his out.

R42 Is that right? Then I wonder why Cher, Barbara Streisand, McConaughey, McCartney, Springsteen, Crowe, and Hilary Clinton disagree with you. People who hate doing them enjoy their Stern interviews.

Shit, he actually made Streisand interesting. Trust me, that's FUCKING impossible.

Howard was always an amazing interviewer. He’s like Letterman on that regard.

The thing is, what made him different that Imus and Opie and Anthony was that he wasn’t being as asshole just for being an asshole. He didn’t believe in sacred cows and thought they needed to be ten down a peg. He was initially the whole libertarian shock jock bent, but he was always curious underneath. He got drunk on his own farts for a while in the mid 90s, but after 9/11, you could see him work through stuff in real time. As he started calming down, he let himself be more open about the emotional intelligence he always had, but didn’t like to use. I give a lot of credit to that to George Takei, who would play along with him and call him on his bullshit, and give him space to work through it.

He never really did a public apology tour because he didn’t need to. His evolution was the apology.

I hope he writes another book about it. I’m betting it would be a classic.

I havent listened to the show in 20 years, so I just read that Ralph died. How? He was young.

"His evokution was the apology." jfc thanks Stern's clueless smarmy PR

Jackie’s wife didn’t represent him? I’m shocked.

R137, he had cancer. I think he was a big smoker. I know Howard tried everything for him. Howard was attached to him for decades. The only person other than Robin that he actually cared about.

Put some respect on this man’s name. He invented the brand that many of these maverick podcasters, regardless of political leanings, put on YouTube and instagram each and every day.

He ain’t hurting for money neevah. He’s worth a half a billion dollars.

Ralph was 58. He denied being gay for most of the Stern show, then came out as bi. He died of lymphoma. Rumour was that he was in a bisexual bromance with Stamos.

[quote]Then I wonder why Cher, Barbara Streisand, McConaughey, McCartney, Springsteen, Crowe, and Hilary Clinton disagree with you.

Please produce one single quote from any of these people where any of them attests to Howard Stern's interviewing prowess. He can barely even bother to show up in the studio for most of his interviews now. And Cher has called him out on it.

He is not a good interviewer. That's horseshit.

Robin is almost worse than Howard at this point. I don't know whether she is ill or not but I do know that the woman can hardly be bothered to make an effort any longer. She gets her facts wrong all the time, she agrees with Howard in ways that make it clear that she doesn't even know what he is saying, the list goes on and on. When they stopped doing the news, I was like, what is the fucking point of this stupid show anymore? Listening to Howard talk about his journey as an amateur guitarist ain't the look.

He will go out with a whimper and no one will remember him because of it. Legends do not go out with a whimper.

[quote]This week, reports surfaced that the “Howard Stern Show’s” “19-year run at SiriusXM was nearing its end, with his $500 million contract expiring at the end of the year and an audience that’s apparently dwindled from 20 million a day to 125,000.

When did Ralph come out as bisexual?

He never came out as bi.

According to a DailyMail report, Stern might make a move to a streaming platform, like Netflix or HBO Max, and insists “All this unknown is music to Howard’s ears.

[quote]an audience that’s apparently dwindled from 20 million a day to 125,000.

Gee, you mean people don't want to hear a 70+ year old man practice guitar and comment on proper humidity or getting a 75 year old retiree fly off the handle in regards to Vegas weather day in and day out???

Is Sirius/XM not doing well

Howard Stern invented the brand of the contemporary media personality and journalist. American audiences are so disloyal.

Howard and his hideous on-air staff (rightfully) roasting that week in 2009 when Americans rioted over free fast-food chicken.

Their language is as salty as a DL brunch, but the story itself is ludicrous. People really got this upset over chicken coupons?

Some of his audience was not in on the joke and bolted when Howard stopped throwing bologna at strippers. They never understood why he was throwing bologna at strippers. He was fascinated by extremes and wanted to showcase that.

Howard's pet bottom got the trots while visiting his hot Latin daddy

Dead Hair

Ralph jokes about being bi

I'm sure one of Howard's biggest problems with being on SIrus over the past few decades is that it's largely kept him out of the mainstream media's discussion, where he blossomed during his radio days. He must be overjoyed over the past few days to once again be the subject of media speculation.

If he were to move, HBO Max aired one of his interviews before. They likely have the inside track if he decides to pursue a video interview series.

But he knows that would be actual work for him and not just going down to his basement and saying whatever he wants for a couple of hours.

Didn’t Ralph try to go the alternative route initially when he was first diagnosed with cancer?

I guess Cocktober is cancelled?

R144 Here's an idea...how about you listen to the interviews so that you can hear THEM say it?

You tried it, tho.

I have never understood what people saw in him.

He needs to do something with that rat’s nest on top of his head.

R159 Ralph avoided seeing a doctor, and his cancer was caught later than it should've been.

He actually died of a heart attack after he went under for surgery. It was sad because Howard talked about how Ralph was crying on the phone with him the day before.

He was awful yet occasionally compelling back in the 90s. I’ll never forget his interviewing Marty Intel’s and Shirley Jones (apropos of what, I don’t know), getting into an argument with Intel’s (not difficult) and calling him a stupid schmuck of some sort. It was hilarious. In 5hose days, he was definitely fighting back at all the bullying he took as a kid.

He got therapy and also seemed genuinely affected by the fiasco in Iraq. He’s okay in small doses.

I didn’t know that he had written a book that came out in 2019. I read that he was genuinely sorry about how he had treated Robin Williams when he interviewed him years ago and didn’t get to apologize before Robin killed himself. It was his biggest professional regret. I was very moved reading that.

R164 I remember when Stern announced Ralph passed. I tuned into the show late that morning and looked at the display, and it had "Ralph (last name) Dead," and I gasped. To my surprise, I ended up crying the more they talked about him. I did the same thing for Joan Rivers.

This is a huge deal for Sirius and they would never in a million years “cancel” Howard. If they were unable to pay him his massive salary, they’d offer a paycut and Howard would likely hang it up. The PR orchestration around this will be meticulously considered. I think Howard’s real downfall is his lack of actual product. He is barely on air at this point. Does he really need the entire summer off from the easiest, most plum gig in the world? Diehard fans have been gradually (and not voluntarily) been weened off him for years now.

Howard went after Les Moonves.

Howard and Robin holding an huge anti-FCC rally dressed up in prison garb with Grandpa Munster dropping F-bombs was one of the funniest things of all ton.

Sirius' financial performance is now largely tied to Howard bringing in subscribers. If Sirius doesn't have the money to pay Howard, it's largely because of his performance.

Most likely these days, Howard's pay is mostly tied to Sirius stock performance, rather than a massive salary deal.

Stern’s 9/11 broadcast is one of the greatest living artifacts of 21st century media. Simply compelling. It should be required material in history classes in high school.

** Rant ahead ** I stopped listening when Howard's ego got so big it was unbelievable. After Robin came back after her cancer treatment, Howard sat there and told how he scoured the earth for the best doctor because he had to save his colleague. Most people would look at that as a beautiful thing, but Howard made it all about him and his efforts. And luckily, he had money and connections... imagine if he was Howard Stern, broke guy. Robin would have been screwed.

Also, back in the WXRK days during one of the many days that Howard berated someone on the staff, it hit me again how hypocritical he was. After listening to him telling some underling how they were doing something wrong and he could do so much better, I thought about how Howard had a woman named Toni come in every morning at 5AM to fix his hair. If Gary had some hairdresser in every day for the same thing, we all know Howard would say "what's wrong with you? You should either cut your hair or learn to take care of it yourself!" But Howard makes excuses for why he needs help - his hair is too much for him. Also, Howard had an issue with directions - he'd say that he could never find his way anywhere. Instead of finding that as a flaw in himself, he turned it that his mind is so filled with ideas and creativity, he can't focus on keeping track of how to get from point A to point B. Again, if Fred or Benji gave those excuses, Howard would've berated them for an hour. So, his hair and driving are turned into acceptable issues. So annoying!

Saw a short clip on Youtube saying "Howard Stern Will Talk!". It's scheduled for 9/02, which is the day that Howard comes back from his 8-week summer hiatus. I feel this was produced by Howard - his ego compels him to get behind the mike and tell the world "I am NOT cancelled!". However, it could also turn out to be him sitting down to alert his fans that he's going to start counting down to the end of his contract and he won't be re-signing.

The clip also shows a few quick shots of the staff (Gary, Jason, Richard, etc.) with the words "are the writers saving their best stuff for the future?". That's a weird tangent to bring up about longtime loyal people who may be faced with losing their livelihood but was thrown in to lighten the seriousness. Makes me wonder if Howard alerted these guy months ago that he was coming to the end of the line.

I've never subscribed to satellite radio, so I haven't listened to Stern in years. All I know about the current sorry status of his program is what DLers report.

I've always felt Howard's talent is interviewing famous people, and now that he's in his dotage, just stick to doing occasional in-depth interviews on television, like Barbara Walters did in her final professional years. Howard Stern's Most Fascinating People of 2025 sounds intriguing to me, as wells as the occasional Howard Stern Special.

Among the many media speculations about current behind the scenes at the show is that the writers have been holding back their best material knowing that the show would soon be ending.

I wonder who would hire the writing and production staff if they get let go. Will Richard and Sal still act like conjoined twins and try to get hired together somewhere or go on the road doing more comedy shows. What can Gary do - be a producer on some dreck like Kelly Ripa or Drew Barrymore? Forget Jason - he's talentless and JD Harmeier is a stuttering 'tard. The rest of the people are ciphers.

Heaven forbid any of those guys start a podcast and rehash all of the crap that other ex-Stern people with podcasts have done for years. Stuttering John, Artie, Steve Grillo, Shuli, etc. have all already been there/done that, plus they will most likely have NDA's that prevent them from talking about a lot of stuff or using Howard's show material.

It’s now coming out that this was a publicity stunt and they’re already playing ads for Howard about it making it a big scandal that he will address. It’s a bunch of bull.