Topline
Radio host Howard Stern fooled listeners and media outlets, including the Associated Press, on Monday morning, claiming Bravo host Andy Cohen would take over for his long-running SiriusXM show—but Stern said he isn’t leaving the show yet, though the future of his massive contract, which runs out later this year, is unclear.
Bravo host Andy Cohen appeared at the beginning of Stern’s 7 a.m. SiriusXM radio show Monday morning, pranking listeners that Stern had abruptly left the show and that he would be taking over under a new name, “Andy 100,” adding he expected a “cleaner hand off” and was “kind of winging it.”
Cohen sang Stern’s praises in a faux send-off, telling audiences he “can’t overstate what Howard has meant to this company and what he did for SiriusXM” and that Stern “walked so that we could run. I can’t possibly fill his void.”
But Stern joined the show after about 10 minutes, CNN reported, thanking Cohen for agreeing to trick his viewers and stating he is “very happy at Sirius.”
Stern’s stunt fooled several media outlets, and the Associated Press left up a headline that the radio host “walks away from SiriusXM after two decades” for about an hour after Stern revealed his abrupt retirement was a hoax.
Stern had previously told listeners he would address his future at the company on Monday as rumors had swirled in media reports that he would retire, which he reportedly told listeners on Monday made him feel that he couldn’t yet walk away from the company.
Stern signed his original blockbuster deal with the radio broadcaster in 2004, worth $500 million over five years. His stint on SiriusXM began in January 2006, a landmark deal for satellite radio that helped SiriusXM subscriber numbers surge. Stern said his deal, which moved him from traditional syndicated radio to satellite, would finally “allow me to be myself,” stating he and his raunchy comedy were previously “stifled for 10 years.” Bloomberg reported in 2020 Stern had consistently renewed his five-year contracts for amounts between $80 million and $100 million per year.
Stern, 71, did not say Monday morning whether he had finalized a deal with SiriusXM to extend his contract again. Last week, SiriusXM chief content officer and president Scott Greenstein said at a Bank of America media and communications conference that its contract renewal negotiations with Stern were ongoing but that he feels “pretty good” about the talks, praising Stern as the “best interviewer out there.” Stern said Monday morning the talks with SiriusXM have been “fantastic.” He addressed media speculation that he was retiring or was fired, and denied one headline that claimed he was leaving over his displeasure that SiriusXM struck a deal with “Call Her Daddy” host Alex Cooper in a deal reportedly worth $125 million over three years. “I don’t know Alex Cooper. And if she is young and bubbly, God bless her because I’m the opposite,” Stern said. Stern admitted he had been “thinking about retiring,” but said there is “zero truth” to media reports that he was fired or would leave.