In a surprising turn of events, Howard Stern, the 71-year-old radio icon, has abruptly announced he will not return to his SiriusXM show this Tuesday after Labor Day, despite earlier promises.
According to the Daily Mail, this development comes as Stern faces contract frustrations with SiriusXM and coincides with resurfaced 2016 footage of Melania Trump cautioning her husband, Donald Trump, against interviews with Stern due to past controversial remarks.
Stern, a prominent figure in radio for decades, has been with SiriusXM since 2006, marking a 20-year tenure with the satellite radio service. His current contract, a substantial $500 million deal spanning five years, is set to expire at the end of this year. The potential end of this agreement has raised questions about the future of his long-running show on the platform.
On Monday night, Stern sent an email to his 95 employees, informing them of his decision not to return to the airwaves as planned. A source speaking to the Daily Mail described the message as unexpected, arriving "out of the blue," though carefully crafted to avoid alarming his staff. The source further revealed that Stern's choice stems from ongoing frustrations with negotiations for a new contract with SiriusXM.
As the expiration of his current deal looms, the radio host's absence from the airwaves signals potential challenges in reaching an agreement with the company. This situation has drawn attention to Stern's storied career, including his high-profile interactions with notable figures like Donald Trump. Trump, who appeared on Stern's show around 20 times, recently commented on the host's potential cancellation during an August discussion with reporters in the Oval Office.
"Howard Stern is a name I haven't heard - I used to do his show, we used to have fun - but I haven't heard that name in a long time," Trump remarked. He also questioned, "What happened, he got terminated?" while speaking to the press.
Trump further suggested that Stern's audience diminished after endorsing Hillary Clinton, Trump's 2016 presidential opponent, stating, "You know when he went down? When he endorsed Hillary Clinton, he lost his audience."
Amid Stern's current professional uncertainty, a 2016 interview with Melania Trump has resurfaced, shedding light on her perspective regarding her husband's appearances on Stern's program. In the interview with Ainsley Earhardt on Fox & Friends, Melania admitted she had advised Donald Trump against participating in discussions with Stern and Billy Bush. "Many times, I gave him advice, and I didn't agree to do all the tapes on Howard Stern with Billy Bush, because I know those people, they hook him on," she explained.
Melania also noted, "They try to get from him some inappropriate and dirty language," highlighting her concerns about the nature of such conversations. This caution came during a time when Donald Trump faced backlash over hot mic comments published by The Washington Post in 2016. In those remarks, Trump boasted to Billy Bush about attempting to engage in intimate behavior with a married woman, intensifying public scrutiny.
Adding to the controversy, past interviews on Stern's show, as uncovered by CNN, revealed additional remarks by Trump that stirred debate. In an October 2006 discussion, Trump commented on his daughter Ivanka's appearance, describing her as "actually always very voluptuous" and "an amazing beauty" at nearly six feet tall. These statements, made when Ivanka was around 25 years old, have been revisited amid the current spotlight on Stern's career.
Another interview from 1997 with Stern included Trump discussing intimate topics, such as experiences with women during specific personal circumstances. "Well, I've been there. I have been there Howard, as we all have," Trump stated during the conversation. He added, "Well, sometimes you get there by mistake," in response to a follow-up question from Stern about his preferences.
Stern's own political stances have also come into focus, particularly his endorsement of Hillary Clinton in 2016, as noted by Trump. Additionally, last year, Stern hosted Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump's current 2024 rival, on his show. This history of political engagement contrasts with his earlier, often apolitical shock jock persona that frequently featured controversial content.
In her 2016 Fox & Friends interview, Melania sought to defend her husband's character amid the controversies surrounding his past statements. "He cares about people, he cares about women, he's not the man that we heard him on the tape," she asserted. Her comments aimed to counter the negative perceptions fueled by the leaked audio and prior radio discussions.
As Stern navigates the uncertainty of his SiriusXM contract, the resurfacing of these past interactions with Trump adds a layer of complexity to his public image. The radio host's decision to step away from his show this week has left fans and industry observers speculating about what lies ahead. Whether he will return to the airwaves under a new agreement remains an open question as the year draws to a close.