THE END OF HOWARD STERN

Howard Stern, once the undisputed king of shock radio, is facing a dramatic decline in relevance and listenership—a fall from grace that has stunned fans and critics alike. Once commanding an audience of over 20 million daily listeners, Stern’s current numbers reportedly hover around a mere 125,000.

Stern rose to fame in the 1980s and 1990s by pushing boundaries, challenging censorship, and redefining radio entertainment. His brash humor, celebrity interviews, and raw honesty made him a cultural icon. The move to satellite radio in 2006 was hailed as revolutionary, with SiriusXM betting big on Stern with a $500 million contract.

But as the years passed, Stern’s show began to change. Longtime fans noticed a shift from edgy, unpredictable content to more polished, celebrity-friendly interviews. Former staffer Steve Grillo, who interned on the show in the '90s, lamented the loss of the “old Howard,” calling the current version “a sad, pathetic version of what happened to this man”.

Grillo and others point to key changes—like the removal of beloved comedic segments and a more sanitized format—as reasons for the mass exodus of listeners. Reddit threads echo similar sentiments, citing 2009 as a turning point when Stern stopped inviting comedians for the news segment, a fan favorite.

In September 2025, Stern teased a major announcement with cryptic social media posts—“Fired? Retiring? Canceled?”—leading to speculation about the end of his show. Insiders later revealed it was a publicity stunt, a “desperate hoax” to reignite interest. With his massive contract nearing expiration and family health concerns reportedly weighing on him, Stern’s future remains uncertain

Howard Stern’s downfall is not just about ratings—it’s a cautionary tale about the risks of abandoning the core identity that built a loyal fanbase. As media evolves and audiences seek authenticity, Stern’s struggle to stay relevant underscores the challenge of aging in the spotlight. What is sad is I used to be a huge Stern fan, but those days are over with...

IS HOWARD STERN GETTING CANCELLED?

For over two decades, The Howard Stern Show has been a staple of satellite radio, entertaining millions of listeners with its unfiltered humor and celebrity interviews. But now, rumors are that Stern’s long-running SiriusXM program may be getting canceled. Is Howard Stern’s show on SiriusXM getting canceled?

According to insiders who spoke to the press, 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.

This theory got its basis after Stern’s 2024 interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris, which drew criticism from conservative circles. His blunt commentary on Trump recently resurfaced in viral clips.

Even if Howard Stern’s show on SiriusXM gets canceled, discussions are reportedly underway to preserve his extensive audio library on SiriusXM. A possible licensing deal may keep his past shows available for streaming, offering fans a slice of nostalgia even if no new episodes come.

But the recent contract uncertainty has reportedly blindsided his staff of nearly 100 employees. With Stern taking his usual summer break, some wonder if he’ll return at all. “He is off in the summer, but this year has been saying ‘maybe I should retire,'” an insider added...

THE DECLINE OF THE HOWARD STERN SHOW

 Many of my readers will be surprised that I am a Howard Stern. He was a part of my growing up in the 1990s. You never knew what was going to come out of Stern's mouth. 1994 was a lot different than 2024. Howard Stern is a lot different now. Before Stern went mainstream there was just something so wrong about him that you had to listen to him. It is impossible to listen to him now and talk about the latest cat he saved with his young wife or the latest interview he had with the boring Bruce Springstein. When did he change? Here is the timeline:

December 2009: Amid continuing addiction issues, Artie Lange departs the Howard Stern Show. The show chooses not to fill the "Artie Chair"

January 2011: At the start of a new contract with SiriusXM, the show drops from airing regularly 4 days a week (Monday to Thursday) to airing regularly 3 days a week (Monday to Wednesday).

April 2012: Stern and Buchwald's lawsuit against SiriusXM (over claims that SiriusXM did not pay them annual subscriber bonuses after Sirius merged with XM and absorbed XM's subscribers) is dismissed "with prejudice." Though Stern continues working with SiriusXM and signs (at least) two 5-year renewals with the company, it has been suggested by fans that this leaves Stern bitter and less willing to develop original content for his channels.

2012: Marci Turk, with no previous radio experience, is hired as Chief Operating Officer of the Howard Stern Show. Unlike other staff members, she is rarely referenced on air. In media profiles since her hiring, Turk has been credited with "softening" the image of Stern and his show and attracting bigger-name celebrities to come on as guests.

October 2012: Longtime regular Gilbert Gottfried makes his final appearance on the show, though rumors persist that he was ostensibly banned for spitting on cupcakes in the hallway during a previous appearance in November 2010. Gilbert later reveals in interviews that he was told by Baba Booey that the show "doesn't book stand-ups" anymore. Please note that Amy Schumer is a regular guest on the show over the next decade.

December 2012: Though the video is not leaked until 2019, Stern addresses his staff at "Revolution 2013" that has become known as "The Pelican Brief." During the nearly hour-long presentation, Stern lectures his staff on numerous topics, including how to attract more "A-list" celebrities to the show. This includes the often-ridiculed suggestion that he created the careers of major stars like Jerry Seinfeld and that the staff should create fake Twitter accounts to encourage celebrities to go on the Stern show.

December 2013: Howard TV is discontinued. Stern hypes its upcoming replacement, "Howard 360", which is eventually revealed to be simply video clips from the show on the SiriusXM app. Notable Howard TV personalities that contributed to the show, such as Scott DePace, are gone from the show.

September 2014: Eric the Actor, whose calls regularly took up hours of airtime, dies. C-level callers like Bobo and Hanzi are soon elevated, likely to fill Eric's usual airtime. Hanzi is banned from the show in April 2016.

January 16, 2015: The Wrap-Up Show officially becomes the Jon and Gary call-in show with the occasional D-level guest that rarely features anything but Jon and Gary talking about how great the show was that day. Other staff members are banned from sitting in on the show.

May 2019: Stern publishes a book of interview transcripts, Howard Stern Comes Again. Promotion for the book further pushes the "World's Greatest Interviewer" angle. In the book and promotional interviews, Stern cites a disastrous interview with Robin Williams as one of his biggest regrets (and that he tried to apologize to Williams before he died), though no one can find such an interview as it is described by Stern. The book sells 147,000 copies in its first week. In contrast, Private Parts sold over 1 million copies in its first 3 weeks.

March 2020: As a result of COVID-19, the Howard Stern Show staff begins "broadcasting" from their homes. Listeners suspect that some content and interviews are pre-taped, and the staff continues to work from home long after many other prominent broadcasters have returned to their studios. Robin's News, a staple of the show from decades, is abruptly ended. As of March 2021, the show is still being broadcast from home...

RIP: The Howard Stern Show...

HOW HOWARD STERN HELPED JULIAN LENNON

Many Beatles fans might not know about this story, but both Julian and Cynthia Lennon considered legendary radio personality Howard Stern as the instrumental figure in helping Julian to finally receive his long overdue inheritance from Yoko Ono.

 
When John Lennon was tragically killed he left a will leaving everything to Yoko Ono’s discretion which meant she could dictate the terms of what to leave Julian, Sean, and even her daughter Kyoko with no interference from anyone else. Up until 1993 Julian was now 30 years old and the only things that Yoko had given John Lennon’s firstborn son was two guitars that really didn’t mean anything to John (Julian had requested another one that he knew was one of his father’s favorites, but was told no and given these two instead while Sean would get to use all of John’s musical equipment,) and a weekly allowance for a short time of $100 a week.

 
Once Julian got his record deal Yoko stopped the $100 a week payments and had given him nothing else up to that point in the early 1990s. What was truly shocking even before that was that when John was alive both Cynthia and Julian were living pretty much a middle class lifestyle. Cynthia had made the mistake of just asking for a small settlement plus a trust fund for Julian that in the end didn’t reach the potential it should’ve because John didn’t pay the proper attention to it.

 
Plus the fact that once Sean was born the trust money balance was broken in half for both sons. Cynthia had trusted John to do right by Julian, and had he lived he most likely would’ve. That being said it was still irresponsible of John not to set something up for both Julian and much of his family in Liverpool including his Aunt Mimi who learned after John’s death that the house he bought her was now owned by Yoko.

 

Unfortunately while Yoko was out preaching about “peace and love” she was doing nothing for Julian. Not even entertaining the idea of giving him a part of his father’s legacy, estate, or any type of inheritance settlement. Julian was basically living off the money he made off his solo career, but it was nowhere near the money Yoko now had with John’s net worth then estimated at hundreds of millions of dollars. Yoko would basically have to be shamed into doing the right thing.

 
Listed below in the comments section is a 1993 interview Julian Lennon gave to Howard Stern. It’s a “must listen” as Howard goes nuclear on Yoko and calls out her hypocrisy, asking over and over why Julian hasn’t received his rightful inheritance as John’s son.

 
It shouldn’t be surprising that soon after this interview which was heard by millions of people and the beating Yoko took in the press that she finally (almost 15 years after John’s death) gave Julian some money. Julian was vocal at the time that the amount wasn’t anything fair to what John’s net worth was, but it was at least a start. Even to this day Julian has absolutely no say in his father’s estate .
The fact of the matter is that it should’ve never come to this. Howard Stern should not have had to shame Yoko into giving Julian his “rightful” inheritance, but instead for reasons only known to her she selfishly handled the matter...

HEALTHWATCH: ARTIE LANGE

Whenever comedian Artie Lange used to come to Pittsburgh I would go to one of his shows. I have bought him dinner, got his autograph, and have laughed with him through the years. Since Lange left the Howard Stern show though, I have grown tired of his comedy. It is not his comedy, but his disregard for his own health and life. Watching the comedy of Artie Lange now is almost like watching a very slow snuff film. In recent years it seems like we are watching him die right before our eyes.

Artie Lange had all the makings of a great comedian along the likes of his idol John Belushi. Both Lange and Belushi have/had great comedic timing. They also share something else, a love of drugs. Lange got fired from the television show MadTV in 1997 and the Howard Stern show in 2010.

Now it looks like Artie is continuing on his downward spiral. Lange's mom admits doctors are worried about his deteriorating condition. Struggling substance abuse addict Artie Lange sent fans into a frenzy on December 6 when he unexpectedly cancelled his appearance on the Artie and Anthony Show. While the former Howard Stern sidekick blamed the flu for his absence, RadarOnline.com has learned exclusively it’s his uphill battle with drugs that’s causing him to cancel on his podcast and other shows.

His mother, Judy Lange, revealed the truth about her son’s constant troubles exclusively to Radar, saying: “Artie has to take care of a few things. He’s got diabetes, so that doesn’t help. He’s okay, as much as he can be. But he is fighting addiction — trying to get through that, and hopefully he will.”

As fans know, followers of the comedian became skeptical of the 50-year-old’s excuse to cancel his appearance when he said he took antibiotics as a remedy — a medication that only fights bacteria, not viruses.

As Radar previously reported, Lange was hospitalized multiple times this year due to drug related issues. As recent as October, Lange cancelled a show in Akron, Ohio after having to make an emergency trip to the hospital for a blood sugar problem. In July, he was hospitalized for days following emergency open heart surgery.

Godspeed funny man Artie Lange. Please don't end up like John Belushi or Chris Farley. Artie Lange is a cat and he is on his ninth life...

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