Roseanne Barr on Tuesday attacked Howard Stern on X, calling the longtime radio host a "shill" and criticizing him for what she said was a turn away from free-speech principles after Stern mocked a meme she posted and staged a prank cancellation of his own show.
Barr, 72, responded to a fan on X, writing that Stern "always sucked" and calling him a "boot-licking py," while conceding that he remains "the greatest who ever did it" in radio. Her comments followed an on-air exchange in which Stern, 71, referred to Barr as a "braindead" and a "fing weirdo" after seeing an altered image she shared that depicted him and Stephen Colbert in bikinis amid rumors his program was being canceled.
The back-and-forth came as Stern used Monday's broadcast to lampoon persistent reports that The Howard Stern Show was ending on SiriusXM. Stern opened the program by staging a fake handoff to Andy Cohen, who briefly announced he would take over the channel in a prank that amplified speculation about the show's future. Stern later returned to the air to thank Cohen and to say the cancellation reports were untrue, blaming online rumor and fan theories for the confusion.
Stern told listeners he had missed a previous broadcast because of illness and denied that negotiations or a dismissal were behind the absence. He said reports that he had been "fired for being too woke" or had left because of the deaths of his cats were false and described the torrent of messages asking whether he was okay as aggravating, saying it had made it harder for him to consider retirement.
Barr's messages amplified a public dispute that has unfolded largely on social platforms and on air. She told followers that Stern had changed from someone she once viewed as a "bastion of free speech" into a "shill," and said "they got to him," suggesting executives or prevailing culture had altered his stance. Barr, who has in the past faced intense backlash over a racist tweet and other controversies, framed herself as unbowed by what she called cancel culture.
SiriusXM, where Stern has been the flagship star since joining the satellite service in 2006, has faced mounting industry challenges even as the company retains major talent. Stern signed a reported five-year, $500 million deal in 2020 that would run through the end of 2025, and has renewed earlier. SiriusXM reported about 33 million paid subscribers in the second quarter of 2025, a decline from previous periods, illustrating broader pressures from streaming platforms and ad-supported rivals.
Stern's career has included moves that reshaped talk radio, from lucrative contracts to boundary-pushing on-air segments, a bestselling memoir, a film adaptation of his life and a role as a television judge. He has maintained high-profile interviews in recent years and remains one of the company's most visible personalities.
The exchange between Barr and Stern is the latest public spat involving long-standing entertainers whose careers predate social media, underscoring how disputes now play out across platforms and on traditional broadcasts. Barr's messages were posted publicly on X and drew responses from followers; Stern addressed the broader swirl of speculation on his show while defending his place at the satellite service.
Representatives for neither Barr nor Stern immediately offered additional comment beyond what the personalities said publicly on air and on X.