HOWARD Stern baffled fans on Tuesday by delaying his big return to his SiriusXM radio show at the very last minute.
The U.S. Sun can exclusively reveal that Stern’s heavily promoted and teased September 2 return has been pushed out another week due to both professional and personal reasons.
Howard Stern’s heavily promoted return to air was postponed by nearly a week this morning, and now sources are revealing the factors at play behind the scenes[/caption]
Stern’s big return was promoted on his SiriusXM channels and the show’s Instagram page, but at 7am this morning, it was announced he wouldn’t be on air after all[/caption]
Stern‘s team pumped out promos to his SiriusXM channels and his show’s Instagram page, teasing that the radio host would be back live on Tuesday to finally address The U.S. Sun’s exclusive report of his longtime show’s possible cancellation.
One insider said that the radio host was away from work this morning to deal with “personal stuff,” and emphasized that his continued absence was not just a stunt to drum up more interest in his show.
Meanwhile, another source said Stern’s beloved 97-year-old mother, Ray Stern, is ill.
That insider also said that the extremely wealthy 71-year-old has been dealing with his agents in negotiations with SiriusXM, and that they are working on some version of a contract to keep him on air after his five-year, $500 million deal ends this fall.
“He’s not totally gone, he’s coming back, even if it’s just enough time for him to properly retire and pass the baton on to the next big thing,” the insider claimed.
However, they noted that despite the talks to keep Stern on longer at SiriusXM, those conversations have gone south.
“They made such a big fuss about his announcement; it’s been weeks of promos, but behind the scenes, there is real tension between him and Sirius. These talks are not going the way Howard wants,” the insider explained.
“If they were going his way, he would have done something to address his fan base, even if it was a pre-recorded 10-minute explanation about why he wasn’t coming in today to discuss the rumors about his cancellation.”
Though he is keeping his fans waiting for yet another week, sources previously told Naughty But Nice’s Rob Shuter that Stern’s “a master at creating buzz.”
“Why kill the story when it’s making headlines everywhere and driving people to tune in?” the source told Shuter.
The U.S. Sun reached out to SiriusXM and Stern’s representatives for comment.
STERN’S SHOW FUTURE IN DOUBT
As The U.S. Sun first exclusively reported in early August, Stern’s show at SiriusXM was set to be canceled, as the satellite radio provider was going to make the shock jock an offer that wouldn’t nearly meet his current, eye-watering contract when it expired this fall.
An insider disclosed at the time said, “Stern’s contract is up in the fall, and while Sirius is planning to make him an offer, they don’t intend for him to take it.
“Sirius and Stern are never going to agree on the money he is going to want. It’s no longer worth the investment.”
The source added at the time that SiriusXM was expected to negotiate a deal to retain Stern’s extensive show archive.
“But as far as him coming back to doing the show, there’s no way they can keep paying his salary,” they explained.
Referring to financial struggles within the media industry, the insider commented, “After you saw what happened with Stephen Colbert, it’s like they just can’t afford to keep him going.”
A source also told The U.S. Sun that Stern can’t stand SiriusXM podcast darling Alex Cooper, the host of Call Her Daddy.
“She’s the one that bugs him,” the insider explained.
“She gets hundreds of millions of hits, she has this mega $125 million deal, and he hates that this young bubbly woman is the big new thing.
One source told The U.S. Sun that Stern’s elderly mother was unwell and that played into the shock jock’s decision not to hit air this morning despite the heavy promos[/caption]
The radio icon is also said to be embroiled in tense talks with SiriusXM about a new contract that would pick up when his current $100M a year contract ends this fall[/caption]
Stern, here with Cher, has interviewed the biggest names in entertainment over the years[/caption]
