Howard Stern's 'Family Emergency' Revealed After Radio Show's Sudden Delay: 'He's Crushed'

Howard Stern's reason behind the delay of his talk show's return has been revealed.

The Howard Stern Show halted its scheduled resume in production on Tuesday, September 2, after the famed SiriusXM radio host allegedly emailed staffers about a "family emergency."

While Stern himself didn't disclose details about his absence when the show was postponed on Tuesday, a #ShuterScoop source later told Rob Shuter the 71-year-old had experienced the devastating loss of his beloved pet.

According to an insider, Howard and his wife Beth's rescue cat Bud sadly died over the weekend.

"Howard is crushed. He adored Bud," a friend of Stern spilled. "Beth is distraught. She saved this stray, nursed him back to health, and he became their everything. Losing him has left them shattered."

Howard and Beth are both overly passionate about animal rescue and have helped thousands of foster cats find their forever homes.

While Bud might be what people call a "foster fail," the sweet feline found a family in the Sterns and was often found snuggled up inside of their Hamptons home, the confidant explained, noting the loss of their pet left a "gaping hole" in the couple's hearts.

"This isn’t just a pet," a second source mentioned. "Bud was family. Howard can’t sit in front of a mic and laugh when his heart is breaking."

Beth addressed the loss of her cat via Instagram on Tuesday, writing: "Our last kiss. One of the best decisions I’ve ever made was tricking you inside. I will never, ever forget you and our special bond. Such joy you brought into our home!!! What an honor this past year was being with you. Bye, my Bud. 🌹."

While Howard is taking the week off to grieve the death of their cat, the source assured fans that the radio show would return next week.

"Howard will be back — it’s done," the insider said, claiming Howard already signed a new contract in secret. "But right now, his focus is Beth and grieving Bud."

The radio personality's highly anticipated return from a summer hiatus comes after rumors spread about his show potentially being canceled — as Howard's $500 million, five-year SiriusXM contract expires at the end of this year.

When The Howard Stern Show does inevitably return next week, the broadcast's former staffer Steve Grillo predicted its "downfall" will continue.

While Grillo thinks "everyone will be tuning in" to check out Howard's "big announcement" on September 8, he believes listeners will "get disappointed and tune right back out."

"I think that if Old Howard Stern could go and jump in the time machine, he would punch him right in the face," Grillo snubbed, as he accused the radio host of losing much of his audience when he called people who voted for President Donald Trump "stupid."

“People listened to whatever he said, and those people were the hard-working people that wanted a change in this country and made him famous and made him rich," the ex-employee stated while speaking to Daily Mail. "And he turned his back on them by saying, ‘If you like a certain political person, I don’t want you listening to my show…That’s why he’s got 125,000 listeners.'"

Grillo added: "People cared about what he said every single day, and then he turns on them…What kind of arrogance and stupidity is that?"