After much speculation about his future and possible retirement, Howard Stern confirmed that he won’t be leaving the airwaves anytime soon.
On Tuesday, Dec. 16, the talk radio great revealed that he had inked a new deal with longtime broadcaster SiriusXM for three more years. “I’m happy to announce that I figured out a way to have it all,” Stern said on his show. “More free time and continuing to be on the radio. So, yes, we are coming back for three years.”
Exact financial terms weren’t disclosed, though Stern reportedly netted $100 million when he signed his last five-year contract in 2020. It’s also not immediately clear what Stern’s schedule will look like going forward if he is to have “more free time.” New episodes of The Howard Stern Show currently air Mondays through Wednesdays, with each broadcast lasting about three hours.
With his contract set to expire this year, Stern’s future has been the subject of much speculation (and the host has characteristically worked to stoke curiosity on his own end). Rumors of his retirement first popped in August while Stern was in the middle of his summer hiatus, with President Donald Trump even chiming in.
Stern then began to tease a big announcement on social media, saying he would address everything when his show returned in September. He wound up sparking even more uncertainty when that return date was pushed from Sept. 2 to Sept. 8 at the last minute.
Trending Stories
Capping it all off, Stern enlisted Andy Cohen to prank his listeners on his return show. Cohen opened the show by explaining to listeners that he was taking over Stern’s time slot, deadpanning: “There’s been a lot of talk about what’s going to happen with Howard’s deal,” Cohen said. “Is he fired? I don’t know how much I’m allowed to say, except that he’s not here and I am.”
Stern, however, eventually took over about 20 minutes into the show. He revealed that his original return had been postponed due to illness, not contract negotiations, and joked about the rumors about his supposed retirement and firing. “What pisses me off is that now I can’t leave,” he cracked. “I’ve been thinking about retiring. Now I can’t.”
