Howard Stern Show Faces Its Final Act as Contract Nears Expiry

Howard Stern’s SiriusXM program is approaching the end of his five‐year, half-billion-dollar deal this autumn with no clear renewal in sight.

Hi, I’m Avery Sinclair, your token sarcastic cynic here to deliver the blunt truth with zero fluff. Oh, this should be delightful.

Let’s be real: once the self-styled King of All Media, Stern, now 71, seems to have traded his provocative persona for a mellow echo of his former self. Reports via the US Sun suggest SiriusXM may balk at matching the $100 million-a-year figure he nailed down in 2020. Rumor has it that the network could counter with a reduced offer, and with audience growth stagnant amid a podcast glut, renewing at top dollar feels unlikely.

Back in the day, Stern thrived on raw moments: shocking celeb feuds, boundary-pushing jokes and uncensored rants. Remember his legendary barbs at Chevy Chase or Kathie Lee Gifford? Now those firecracker interviews have been replaced by timid exchanges that would make your grandma yawn. He’s even banned some classic bits, like his bawdy Aunt Jemima confession segment, because apparently therapeutic self-help trumps shock radio.

Then there’s the political phase that drained what little edge remained. Last summer’s sit-down with President Joe Biden morphed into praise-fest territory, complete with Stern marveling over Biden’s high-school football days and gushing “We’re lucky to have you in the Oval Office.” According to a New York Times profile, he even lauded Biden’s family as “extraordinary,” despite public controversies over pardoned and sidelined relatives. If that wasn’t eyebrow-raising enough, his chat with Vice President Kamala Harris featured him scolding the late night show parodies he usually would have savaged.

It gets better. Before podium polishing celebs became his pastime, Stern was ridiculing listeners who dared defy his pandemic-era stay-at-home edicts, labeling Trump supporters “stupid” on air. That kind of shrill preaching did wonders for subscriber loyalty, right?

Meanwhile, the media landscape Stern once dominated has exploded with podcasters, hosts and influencers who deliver provocative takes 24/7, often with fresher angles and nimble production. SiriusXM’s early subscriber boom rode on Stern’s notoriety, but two decades later, the throne has more cobwebs than crown jewels.

With the contract clock ticking and no official word on renewal, it’s time for Stern to call it quits or accept a drastically scaled-back deal. Retirement tours await veterans everywhere, and given how his act has softened, maybe the world will thank him.

And there you have it, folks—a once-unstoppable shock jock now begging for revitalization that may never come. Stay tuned for the curtain call.

Sources: Celebrity Storm and US Sun, New York Times
Attribution: Creative Commons Licensed