NEWSBeth Stern Talks Shia LaBeouf, Open Marriages
June 30 2011, Published 12:00 p.m. ET
As the wife of shock jock Howard Stern, one might think Beth Ostrosky Stern would be the most permissive person ever. Not so!
When asked what she thinks of Shia LaBeouf saying he was intimate with Transformers co-star Megan Fox while she was involved with now-husband Brian Austin Green, the model bristles.
“Uh-oh!” she exclaims this week during The HSUS' Chefs For Seals NYC event at Skylight West. “Oops. I don’t know. It’s just uh-oh. nervously laughs I’m not going there.”
For Beth, 38, an open marriage – which several Hollywood couples have admitted to permitting – is a no-no.
“Oh, not for me,” she tells me. “I would get so jealous, and I know my husband would get so jealous, and I know that’s something that’s not for us. We’re happy with just each other, and if that day ever comes, that means we’re not supposed to be together.”
She believes Howard would never stray.
“No, I think we both respect each other so much that we would never cheat. I would hope that he would come to me if he had that desire, because I know I would come to him. I gave him that vow when we were married. Until that day – hopefully that day will never be – but we’re happy and secure and hope that there will be no others for the rest of our lives. laughs”
Although the couple, who wed in 2008, are famously in love, Beth admits Howard, 57, isn’t perfect.
“He wears his boots on our white carpet, and that’s our only thing – that’s the only thing about him that bugs me, and he knows it,” she says. “Even yesterday, I saw him taking off his boots. Well, he already walked through on the white carpet, and he knows it bugs me.”
She adds, “We’re working through it. We may need to go to therapy, but I think we’re on track. laughs I’m kidding; I’m kidding.”
Of course, Howard has his strong points.
“He actually just shot the cover of my Hamptons magazine that’s coming up, and he got a look from me that no other photographer has ever captured. He was phenomenal, and I’m excited about the whole spread and the cover. It’s a first for him. It’s his first cover, and it’s of his wife. laughs”
One way the couple keeps their bond strong is through their animals.
“Our whole life revolves around our pets. We have our two cats and our dog, and everything we do, they’re around us, they’re with us, they’re sleeping with us. They rule the house, and we cater to them. That’s how it is in the Stern household, and we wouldn’t have it any other way.”
He also gets involved with her causes, like saving the animals.
“My husband and I were walking in the Hamptons last month, and we came across a seal,” she says. “We spent hours with the seal, and my husband spent hours with this seal, photographing him, and he was a person.”
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She whips out her phone to show me a photo of the mammal.
“He had such soulful eyes, so magnificent, and anyone that could slaughter an animal that’s looking at you like that – it’s disgusting. Who wears fur these days? No one. Anyone who does is disgusting, and we have to stop. These animals need our help!”
She adds, “Seals are in need of human help, so we are all here together to stop the cruelty that’s going on with these seals, and I am so amazed and excited that The Humane Society has joined forces with these chefs to put an end to buying Canadian seafood until this is stopped, because it must stop.”
Beth heads upstairs, where DJ Josh Madden spins tunes like The Tide Is High, Hard To Handle, Can’t Hurry Love and I Want To Be With You Everywhere on the rooftop deck. Printed behind him is a strong message: “Save The Seals. Don’t Buy While Seals Die. Boycott Canadian Seafood.”
Stuffed animal baby seals dot the tables, and a costumed character seal poses for photos with guests, who munch on watermelon and admire the captivating seal images shot by America’s Next Top Model judge - and photographer - Nigel Barker.
Beth is right: They do have expressive eyes.
Check it out: My recording device – and hand - is in this photo. Ha!
For more on The HSUS’ ProtectSeals campaign, visit humanesociety.org/protectseals.
