Howard Stern, 71, is facing growing backstage tensions as insiders say staffers are weighing exits to join podcaster Alex Cooper, whose profile at SiriusXM has risen sharply since the company signed her to a high-profile deal. Cooper, the 31-year-old host of Call Her Daddy, inked a $125 million, three-year agreement with SiriusXM in August 2024 that gives her exclusivity on advertising and distribution rights for her podcast and her Unwell network content. The arrangement has been described by insiders as part of SiriusXM’s broader push to diversify beyond Stern and spotlight Cooper as the network’s “future,” a development that has rankled some longtime executives and on-air personalities.
Insiders say Stern’s ego is unsettled by what he perceives as a strategic shift toward Cooper. “Howard knows that they are spending much more money on promoting Alex and her podcast,” one source told the Daily Mail. “He can’t swallow that gigantic pill that she’s the future.” The tension has fed into rumors that staffers might seek opportunities with Cooper, reflecting a broader sense that loyalty at The Howard Stern Show is increasingly testy as SiriusXM recalibrates its lineup.
The drama arrived as Stern himself had been teasing a major studio announcement in the weeks leading up to his annual summer break, a period that was extended after he fell ill. He returned in early September and told listeners that the rumors of his impending cancellation were “completely false.” In a nod to the spectacle around the broader shakeup, Stern even invited Bravo’s Andy Cohen to stage a mock scenario in which Cohen would replace him—a move Stern said he would likely be “happy” about in some hypothetical future, according to insiders. The episode underscored how the broadcaster and his network are navigating questions about succession, relevance and audience.
The Cooper deal itself has become a flashpoint for expectations at SiriusXM. Cooper’s channeling of her Unwell network content into SiriusXM’s ecosystem and the advertising framework surrounding her show have intensified scrutiny of Stern’s status at the company. In February 2025, SiriusXM launched two new channels, Unwell Music and Unwell On Air, featuring Cooper and other hosts, a move that insiders say signals a broader investment in Cooper’s brand and the network’s digital distribution strategy.
Meanwhile, criticism of Stern’s on-air persona has been part of a longer trend cited by observers. The show has faced scrutiny for its perceived political tilt and for rhetoric that some listeners viewed as out of step with broader audiences. Audience metrics cited in the public sphere have illustrated a steep decline from Stern’s peak—about 20 million daily listeners at the height of his influence—to figures that have at times been reported as low as 125,000, though the latest episode-by-episode numbers have not been publicly disclosed. The drop has fed conversations about the show’s relevance in a rapidly changing media landscape where streaming and podcasting have redefined how audiences consume talk content.
The behind-the-scenes discourse goes beyond ratings. Insiders say staffers are watching compensation and job security as SiriusXM reallocates resources toward Cooper. “The Sirius staff will follow the money,” one insider said, noting that workers worried about paying rent and supporting families might jump at opportunities with Cooper if offered comparable or better terms. A former Stern staffer, Steven Grillo, author of Gorilla Parts, said Stern has historically built a loyal, talented team only to leverage that loyalty for financial leverage, a pattern he described in stark terms: Stern is capable of spotting talent, elevating it, and then using market pressure to retain it while keeping salaries just enough to keep people on edge.
Grillo also offered a cautionary view of how Stern’s universe operates: a core of lifelong collaborators who feel drawn to him but who may eventually seek stability elsewhere if they sense the market is moving away from Stern’s brand. “Howard has the ability and the genius to find people who are extremely loyal and exploit them,” Grillo said. “He has an extremely loyal staff—everybody was always loyal to him. But there were people that he finds, people that are diehard loyal people, and he brings them into the fold and he makes them famous, and then he’s able to keep them and give them enough money just to survive and eat but never enough money to have a house like he does.” Grillo has been critical of Stern in other public remarks, portraying a dynamic in which staff loyalty is leveraged to sustain a larger media empire.
The internal discussions around Cooper’s ascendancy extend beyond Stern’s inner circle. Some insiders suggested that if Stern’s staff perceived Cooper as eclipsing his influence, they might pivot toward opportunities associated with her growing footprint. The Daily Mail has reached out to Stern’s representatives and SiriusXM for comment, and SiriusXM has not publicly detailed the staffing implications of Cooper’s deal. The company has emphasized Cooper’s centrality to its future, while Stern’s own public remarks—both on-air and in public forums—have framed his value as a cornerstone of the SiriusXM brand, even as the company broadens its portfolio and audience.
On Sept. 8, Stern addressed the surrounding chatter directly on his show, noting that rumors of his departure were not grounded in fact. He quipped about the notion of being replaced by Cooper or anyone else and reiterated a broader point about the value of subscribers and the role of radio as a platform. In a pointed aside that underscored the ongoing tension between Stern’s traditional radio base and SiriusXM’s newer streaming initiatives, he remarked that his business narrative centers on retaining subscribers and maintaining control of his “stock,” while acknowledging the appeal of fresh voices in the Sirius ecosystem if they can help grow the audience. The remarks reflected an awareness of the shifting sands within the company and the industry at large as SiriusXM leans into Cooper’s brand and a broader digital strategy.
The episode reveals that the landscape for talk radio and podcast-centric programs remains highly dynamic. Cooper’s rise within SiriusXM represents a broader trend of traditional radio networks investing in podcast personalities who can transcend the limitations of a single channel or platform. For Stern—whose show defined a generation of radio fans—those investments pose a complex challenge: how to maintain a core audience while embracing an increasingly diversified media ecosystem that rewards political-leaning discourse with a broader platform and younger demographics with the immediacy of a digital-first brand. As SiriusXM navigates this transition, insiders caution that loyalty, money, and on-air personas will continue to shape the evolving relationship between Stern, Cooper, and the company that owns both platform and content.