Canceled? No! It Was a Howard Prank!

Andy Cohen In Stern Studio at 6AM

Variety, The Associated Press and other platforms have been fooled.

In a classic Howard Stern move, the radio legend pulled off an elaborate prank on Monday morning, faking the end of his 20-year SiriusXM run before revealing a freshly signed contract extension to keep The Howard Stern Show on air. 

The 71-year-old "King of All Media" orchestrated a theatrical stunt on his flagship Howard 100 channel, with Bravo host Andy Cohen playing the flustered fall guy in a staged takeover that briefly rebranded the channel as "Andy 100." 

The bit, dripping with Stern's signature chaos, capped months of speculation about his future and reaffirmed his knack for turning rumors into ratings gold.

The Prank Heard 'Round the Airwaves

At 6 a.m. ET, SiriusXM listeners tuning into Howard 100 expecting Stern’s return after a summer hiatus were thrown for a loop when Andy Cohen, 57, host of Watch What Happens Live and SiriusXM’s Radio Andy, took the mic. With mock nerves, Cohen announced, “I know you’re expecting a big announcement from Howard, and this is not how things were meant to go. This was supposed to be a cleaner handoff. I’m kind of winging it.” 

Calling it a “surreal morning,” he declared the channel would now be “Andy 100,” adding with a laugh that he “can’t possibly fill [Stern’s] void” but was sure the radio titan would “land another job soon.”The ruse lasted about 20 minutes until Stern himself hit the airwaves, cackling as he thanked Cohen for playing along in what he revealed was a scripted stunt to toy with fans and media alike. 

“We got you good, didn’t we?” Stern reportedly quipped, confirming he’d signed a new deal with SiriusXM, though specific terms—duration, salary, or scope—weren’t disclosed. 

Insiders suggest the contract may involve a lighter schedule or expanded archive access, balancing Stern’s hints at retirement with his enduring draw. Social media lit up, with X users praising the “genius troll” while others groaned at falling for it, posting clips of Cohen’s deadpan delivery and memes of Stern’s sidekick Gary “Baba Booey” Dell’Abate dodging the “cancellation” bullet.

Milking the Rumors: From Speculation to Showmanship

The skit was a masterclass in Stern’s ability to spin drama into buzz. For months, tabloids like The U.S. Sun and RadarOnline fueled speculation that Stern’s $500 million, five-year contract (signed in 2020, roughly $100 million annually) wouldn’t renew, citing SiriusXM’s budget concerns and Stern’s shrinking listenership—down to an estimated 125,000 daily from millions in his ‘90s heyday. 

Rather than squash the summer rumors, Stern leaned in, teasing last month that he’d address his future on September 2. He delayed the return twice, hyping the reveal with promos like “Fired? Retiring? Canceled? Bye-Bye Booey?” 

The Cohen bit was the payoff, a nod to SiriusXM’s push for younger talent like Alex Cooper (Call Her Daddy, $60 million deal) and Conan O’Brien, while poking fun at reports of Cohen “usurping” Stern’s throne. Cohen, a Stern fan and frequent guest (last in March 2025), was the perfect accomplice, his Bravo charisma amplifying the gag.

Howard Stern's tenure began in January 2006 after his high-profile jump from terrestrial radio, has indeed been a landmark 20-year partnership that's now reaching its contractual conclusion at the end of 2025. 

Stern, now 71, has long hinted at retirement, but insiders and executives suggest SiriusXM is actively working to retain him or at least his vast content library. 

Stern revolutionized radio in the 1980s and '90s as the "King of All Media" with his syndicated The Howard Stern Show on stations like WNBC and WXRK (K-Rock) in New York. Known for boundary-pushing humor, celebrity interviews, and FCC fines totaling over $2 million for indecency, he built a massive following but clashed with broadcast regulations. In 2004, he signed a groundbreaking $500 million, five-year deal with Sirius Satellite Radio (now SiriusXM), which offered uncensored content and helped the fledgling service grow from about 600,000 subscribers to nearly 35 million today. 

His move was pivotal: Analysts estimated that 15% of SiriusXM subscribers (potentially 2.7 million at the time) tuned in primarily for Stern.

Over two decades, Stern evolved from shock jock to acclaimed interviewer, hosting A-listers like Lady Gaga, Bruce Springsteen, and even political figures like Kamala Harris in 2024. His show airs on SiriusXM's Howard 100 channel, with replays and archives on Howard 101.