Howard Stern is not leaving SiriusXM, despite rumors that his future on the show might be at risk as his $500 million contract nears its end.
After pranking fans with the help of Andy Cohen—who pretended to take over Stern’s 7 a.m. timeslot—Stern returned on air just 10 minutes later to reclaim his show and reveal that it was all a prank.
So, what’s next for Cohen and Stern after this playful gag?
Will Andy Cohen Replace Howard Stern?
It all started when Andy Cohen came on air Monday, September 8, teasing a big announcement from Howard Stern after weeks of retirement rumors.
“I know you’re expecting a big announcement from Howard, and this is not how things were meant to go,” the Bravo host said.
As he expressed regret for not having a “cleaner handoff” and for being the “king of winging it” during what he called a “surreal morning,” Cohen revealed that the channel would be officially called “Andy 100.”
While assuring listeners that he couldn’t “possibly fill [Stern’s] void,” he expressed confidence that Stern would land another job on a new network soon, given his talents and decades of experience.
But just as everyone began believing Cohen—with several media outlets already reporting that Stern was leaving—the 71-year-old radio icon suddenly took over, thanking Cohen for helping him execute the prank.
Stern then criticized the media for spreading inaccurate reports about his employment status after missing the show for a week due to an illness, calling them “bad rumors.”
“What pisses me off is now I can’t leave,” he said. “I’ve been thinking about retiring. Now I can’t.”
While Stern has yet to comment definitively on his future at SiriusXM, he made it clear that he is “very happy at Sirius” and even called its executives “fantastic.”
Will Howard Stern Stay on SiriusXM?
Stern’s five-year contract with SiriusXM, signed in 2020, ends this year. Despite rumors that he might leave the show, he confirmed that negotiations between his team and the company are ongoing to review his contract.
Executives are optimistic, believing they will “get to the right place” with Stern as discussions progress.
Speaking at a Bank of America conference Wednesday, Scott Greenstein, SiriusXM’s president and chief content officer, emphasized the importance of Stern’s show for the company, calling him one of the biggest draws for satellite radio subscribers.
However, Greenstein also noted that any deal had to “make sense.”
“So Howard, for all these years and right up until now, is as important a piece of content as we’ve had in terms of being a lightning rod to generate awareness for the service, publicity, and all of that,” he said (via The Hollywood Reporter).
“He’s the best interviewer out there, period, bar none. And we’ve always had a series of renewals, as you all know. With any talent at that level, you’re always going to have an extended period of negotiations. We’ve been pretty lucky all these years. We’d love them to stay. It certainly has to make sense, but we feel pretty good that we’ve done this before, and we’ll see where it goes.”
Jennifer Witz, SiriusXM’s CEO and director, added, “I think he’s been core to our platform for over 20 years. So I’m confident we’ll get to the right place.”
Rumors had suggested that SiriusXM might not renew Stern’s contract due to his high price tag and less frequent broadcasting schedule. But after his recent prank, it seems clear that Stern is here to stay.
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