Introduction to the Controversy
Howard Stern gave his fans a heads up early Monday morning with a gag that Andy Cohen took over on SiriusXM. This news came after a month of rumors and speculation that Stern’s SiriusXM deal was not renewed. His show had previously announced that they would address the topic of "The Howard Stern Show" on September 2, but this was later postponed until September 8, indicating that a deal had not yet been completed.
The Rumors and Speculation
Stern told his audience on Monday that he was "totally closed" over the summer to take some time off. He had planned to discuss the future of "The Howard Stern Show" on SiriusXM last week, but he became very sick. At the end of July, Stern received a call from "my people" who informed him of a false report that co-host Robin Quivers had died. Another report followed that Stern had been "fired" by SiriusXM because he had "woken up".
Considering Retirement
Stern considered retiring, but he couldn’t move away from SiriusXM due to the media reports that "The Howard Stern Show" was canceled. However, he mentioned that one of the positive things about all the "fake news" was that he heard from other companies that were interested in picking up his show. Stern expressed his happiness with SiriusXM, stating "I’m very happy about Sirius".
The Prank with Andy Cohen
Before Stern came on the air on Monday, a nervous Andy Cohen set up a staged piece, announcing that the future channel would now be known as "Andy 100". Cohen said, "I know that you expect a big announcement from Howard, and things shouldn’t go as planned". He added that it was a "surreal morning" and that he couldn’t fill Stern’s absence. When Stern got on the air, Cohen thanked him for approving the prank.
History with SiriusXM
Stern, who is 71 years old, first signed with the satellite radio broadcaster Sirius in 2004, partly due to the freedom from censorship that the platform offered. "The Howard Stern Show" debuted on Sirius in January 2006. His last five-year renewal with SiriusXM was in 2020. Last week, SiriusXM executives admitted that talks with Stern had not yet been completed, but they hoped to ink a new deal.
The Deal and Its Worth
Stern’s original deal with Sirius was worth over $500 million over five years, including stocks. According to Bloomberg, his recent renewals were "in the range of $80 million to $100 million". A Bloomberg report in 2020 stated that Stern’s deal with SiriusXM could pay over $120 million a year. Over the years, Stern has interviewed hundreds of actors, comedians, music artists, athletes, politicians, and more on his show, with writer Fred Norris and producer Gary "Baba Booey" Dell’Abate by his side for most of his career.
