It has been evident for more than a year that SiriusXM would not be renewing Howard Stern’s substantial contract. As a result, his employees have been taking advantage of the situation, “coasting” during work hours and seeking new job opportunities, according to two current staff members of the show who spoke to NY Post.
This week, reports emerged suggesting that the “Howard Stern Show” may be nearing the end of its 19-year run at SiriusXM.
Stern’s $500 million contract is set to expire at the end of the year, and the show’s audience has reportedly declined from 20 million listeners per day to just 125,000. Some of the show’s writers have even prepared their best jokes about the show’s impending demise, according to one worker.
“Most of us have been coasting at work the last year,” because “we know he’s retiring, whether by choice or because he’s forced out,” admitted one of the longtime staffers who dished to The Post this week.
Stern’s employees have been putting out feelers for other showbiz gigs, the two said.
“It’s been hard, because the industry [in New York City] is so incestuous, so you don’t know who’s talking to who,” the first employee said.
“I’m just hanging in there until this is all sorted out, and then I will take some time to unwind after all this,” the staffer continued. “I’m a fan and it’s been a big part of my life for so long, but it hasn’t been fun for a while.”
Before taking his annual summer break, Howard Stern, 71, hinted during staff meetings that his retirement may be approaching. Staff members reported that they have only heard rumors about Stern’s future at SiriusXM, with no definitive statements from management or from Stern himself, who has referred to himself as the “King of All Media.”
The potential end of Stern’s illustrious career follows a significant shift in his political views. He previously maintained a friendship with President Trump but publicly opposed him during the 2015 presidential campaign against Hillary Clinton.
