Last month, we reported that Howard Stern’s eponymous SiriusXM radio show is “to be canceled.” Stern was supposed to return to his radio show today to face these rumors head-on.
At the last minute, however, Stern shocked the measly number of listeners that he has left by canceling his return.
Stern Cancels His Comeback
A source confirmed to Page Six that Stern, 71, sent an email to his staffers “out of the blue” on Monday. In it, he revealed that he would not be returning to his show on Tuesday as he had planned.
Stern claimed to his staffers that this was because of a family emergency. However, another insider alleged to Daily Mail that Stern actually made this decision out of “frustrations over the new contract” he’s been negotiating with SiriusXM. Indeed, Stern’s massive $500 million contract with SiriusXM is about to expire.
“Stern’s contract is up in the fall. And while Sirius is planning to make him an offer, they don’t intend for him to take it,” a source told The Sun last month. “Sirius and Stern are never going to meet on the money he is going to want. It’s no longer worth the investment.”
This insider went on to say that SirusXM may bargain for Stern’s library.
“But as far as him coming back to doing the show, there’s no way they can keep paying his salary,” the source explained. “After you saw what happened with Stephen Colbert, it’s like they just can’t afford to keep him going.”
This was a reference to CBS canceling Stephen Colbert’s late night talk show. This came after the show was revealed to be costing the network $40 million per year.
Stern Goes Woke
Like Colbert, Stern had alienated a large chunk of his audience by going woke. Stern was once known as the shock jock of radio. That’s all changed in recent years, as he’s become just another mouthpiece for the radical left. Indeed, he frequently bashes Donald Trump, telling those who voted for the president that “they’re stupid.”
The Howard Stern Show has been airing on SiriusXM since 2006. Viewership has plummeted over the years. Indeed, it has declined from 20 million a week in the 1990s to as low as 125,000 today.
Stern has reportedly postponed his return to next Monday, September 8.
“Today was the day to answer all questions and yet the controversy continues. Howard Stern will now speak Monday,” The Howard Stern Show said in a brief announcement.
Stern’s Desperate Stunt
Last month, it was reported that Stern and his staff of 95 people were “blindsided” by reports that The Howard Stern Show will be ending at the end of this year. However, insiders later alleged that this was just a desperate stunt from The Howard Stern Show in the hopes of making the program relevant again.
“They’re desperately trying to make this thing go viral to try to boost his numbers for his return,” one insider claimed in August. “His numbers are down so low that they’re trying … to get people to tune in to see what he’s going to say about getting ‘fired’ from Sirius.”
The source went on to say that the scheme was “something they came up with on a viral scale to get people to tune in again” since Stern’s numbers are “pathetic.”
Stern canceling his return at the last minute will certainly do nothing to help boost his viewership. In the end, it seems that Stern has learned the hard way that “go woke, go broke” is very real indeed!