Shock jock Howard Stern was a no-show at SiriusXM Monday after nearly 20 years with the satellite radio service — or so it seemed.
Fans tuning in for what was supposed to have been a big announcement from Stern were surprised to hear Andy Cohen filling in for the 71-year-old Queens born, Long Island raised radio host.
“I know you’re expecting a big announcement from Howard and this is not how things were meant to go,” Cohen acknowledged as he navigated what he called a “surreal morning.”
Even the Associated Press ran a headline stating “Howard Stern Walks Away From SiriusXM” around 7 a.m. after Cohen seemed to announce Stern’s exit following weeks of speculation and negotiations to hammer out a new deal.
The channel that once carried Stern’s program was being renamed “Andy 100,” according to the host who helped make famous the “Real Housewives” franchise.
Stern ended the prank after about 10 minutes by coming on the air and assuring supporters he’s “very happy at SiriusXM,” without confirming he’d reached a new deal to keep him there when his contract expires at the end of the year.
Stern signed a whopping deal in 2004 to leave “terrestrial radio” for the satellite radio network. That 5-year contract, which went into effect in 2006, was worth around $100 million annually, according to the New York Times.
He re-upped with SiriusXM in 2010, then in 2020 inked another five-year deal for an undisclosed about after assuring listeners he would not take “a f–king pay cut.”
Since signing Stern, SiriusXM’s has had to compete for listeners with a myriad of other platforms including podcasts livestreams. The company experience a net loss of 100,000 subscribers between 2024 and 2025,but still reports around 33 million paid listeners.
The shock jock has seemingly mellowed in the decades following stunts like showing up at the 1992 VMA’s dressed as his gaseous superhero character “Fartman.”
That stunt was followed by a brief gubernatorial run that ended in 2024 with Stern withdrawing his candidacy as a Libertarian candidate who supported the death penalty.
His liberal-leaning politics in recent years included heavy criticism of President Trump, who frequently appeared on his radio shows before entering politics. Stern told Trump supporters in 2020 “the people Trump despises most love him the most.”
Many Stern supporters quickly soured on their idol.
“That’s not the guy I grew up listening to,” a distraught Sean Hannity told his Fox News viewers in 2019.
Upon hearing Stern might be leaving the airwaves last month Trump said “We used to have fun, but I haven’t heard that name in a long time.”
With News Wire Services
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