NEWS'Desperate Hoax': Howard Stern Reportedly Fabricated Cancelation Rumors to 'Get People to Tune Into' His Show Amid Plummeting Ratings
Photo of is Howard Stern getting the boot?
Aug. 21 2025, Published 12:59 p.m. ET
Howard Stern is being accused of making up rumors about himself to try and get people talking about his eponymous SiriusXM show.
According to a new report, gossip about The Howard Stern Show being canceled was just a "desperate hoax" fabricated by the star and his team to try and stay "relevant."
Did Howard Stern Make Up Cancelation Rumors?
An insider claimed Howard Stern made up cancelation rumors 'to get people to tune into' his SiriusXM show.
"They’re desperately trying to make this thing go viral to try to boost his numbers for his return [on September 2]," a source told a news outlet. "His numbers are down so low that they’re trying … to get people to tune in to see what he’s going to say about getting ‘fired’ from Sirius [XM]."
The plot was "something they came up with on a viral scale to get people to tune in again" since the disc jockey's ratings are allegedly "pathetic."
The Initial Gossip Surrounding Howard Stern's Show Getting Axed
The source said the the show's ratings are continuously sinking.
As OK! reported, Stern, 71, signed a five-year $500 million deal in 2020, with another publication claiming SiriusXM planned to "make [Stern] an offer" this year that they believe he won't agree to.
"Sirius and Stern are never going to meet on the money he is going to want. It’s no longer worth the investment," the source spilled. "There’s no way they can keep paying his salary."
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How the Show Responded to the Rumors
The media personality will discuss the rumors when his program returns on September 2.
A promo for new episodes revealed the media personality will address the hearsay when his show resumes next month.
"Chaos is swirling at The Howard Stern Show. Did staffers talk to the press? Are writers withholding their best jokes? Nobody knows what’s going on — or who to trust," a voice-over said. "Now we can reveal all the questions will be answered. All the truths will be told by the one man truly on the inside: Howard Stern will speak."
In October 2024, SiriusXM president Scott Greenstein stated Stern will 'never' be replaced.
In 2019, Stern discussed the idea of retiring, admitting at the time he was "pretty sure" he was "almost out the door."
"When I get out of radio. I’m getting out," he confessed, according to Far Out Magazine. "I’m getting out anyway because I realize that radio is affecting my health. When I’m home on the weekends I’m fine. And then when I come here all kinds of s--- happens."
SiriusXM president and chief content officer Scott Greenstein recently touched on Stern's future in an October 2024 interview.
"He’s been with me and the company going on two decades, and so he’s pretty happy, but he’s also able, like many great artists, to stop whenever he wants," Greenstein explained before the cancelation buzz. "Nobody will ever replace them. We would never try to replace them. It’s not what is even appropriate, but even practical."
