Howard Stern returned to his SiriusXM radio show Monday after staging a prank that briefly fueled speculation he was leaving the platform.
Stern, 71, opened the broadcast by enlisting television host Andy Cohen in a bit that initially seemed to confuse Cohen. “This was supposed to be a cleaner hand off. I’m kind of winging it,” Cohen said before Stern came on and thanked him for participating in the gag. The exchange followed weeks of promotional teasers that suggested the longtime host’s show might be canceled, and a postponed return from his summer break that had amplified rumors.
Promotional clips on SiriusXM and other outlets included lines such as “The tabloids have spoken: Howard Stern fired, canceled,” and asked, “Is it really bye-bye Booey?” That messaging, combined with the postponed comeback, prompted widespread conjecture about Stern’s future and prompted attention to how SiriusXM framed his presence on its platform. The company’s homepage at one point included a dedicated tab labeled Howard alongside For You, Music, Talk & Podcasts and Sports.
Stern’s move to satellite radio in 2006 was a milestone for both the host and the then-nascent company, drawing attention and subscribers to Sirius Satellite Radio Inc. His decision to join satellite radio followed years of high-profile indecency battles with the Federal Communications Commission and radio executives, and it gave Stern a lucrative contract and greater freedom from broadcast censorship.
He has extended his SiriusXM contract twice since the original deal, including a 2020 five-year agreement reported by Forbes to be worth $500 million. SiriusXM executives have frequently underscored his value to the company: Scott Greenstein, SiriusXM’s president and chief content officer, told The Hollywood Reporter in 2024 that Stern had been with the company for nearly two decades and that “nobody will ever replace them.” Greenstein added that Stern was free to stop whenever he wanted.
SiriusXM’s content lineup has expanded since Stern’s arrival to include top podcasts such as Call Her Daddy, SmartLess and Freakonomics Radio and personalities including Trevor Noah, Kevin Hart and Stephen A. Smith. Still, the company has faced market pressures. SiriusXM reported 33 million paid subscribers in the second quarter of 2025, a net decline of 68,000 from the first quarter and 100,000 fewer subscribers than the same period a year earlier, as it competes with a saturated satellite market and free, ad-supported platforms such as Spotify.
Stern has remained a prominent interview figure, conducting widely reported conversations with artists including Lady Gaga and Bruce Springsteen. His career began in terrestrial radio, where he rose to national fame during a 20-year stint in New York and at one point syndicated in 60 markets with an audience that topped 20 million listeners. His 1997 film Private Parts became a box-office success, and he has written bestselling books and served as a judge on America’s Got Talent from 2012 to 2015.
Monday’s broadcast closed the chapter on the speculation that the host was about to depart SiriusXM, with Stern continuing his long-running presence on the platform. The story was first published on Sept. 8, 2025, and was updated the same day to correct that Stern was not leaving SiriusXM and that the announced departure was a prank.