Howard Stern Reveals Truth Behind SiriusXM Firing Rumors: 'We've Been Talking'

Howard Stern's recent firing rumors have given him newfound motivation.

The Howard Stern Show host finally addressed recent speculation about whether his SiriusXM gig was being canceled upon returning to his radio broadcast after an extended summer break on Monday, September 8.

"What pisses me off is now I can’t leave. I've been thinking about retiring, now I can't," Stern admitted, insisting the rumors were completely false and he doesn't want to give any credit to them by willingly stepping down from his job after almost two decades at SiriusXM.

Stern promised he's in the midst of settling a new contract, as his $500 million, five-year deal expires at the end of this year.

"SiriusXM and my team have been talking about how we go forward in the future, they’ve approached me. They’ve sat down with me like they normally do and they’re fantastic," the 71-year-old gushed. "We've been talking."

Stern also addressed the rampant rumors about who might replace the radio host for his show if he had actually been fired.

The media personality emphasized how he is "very happy at Sirius," but played into the speculation by reading a few headlines regarding other talents inside of the radio network.

One headline read by Stern claimed he was leaving his job due to SiriusXM’s hiring of "Call Her Daddy" podcast host Alex Cooper.

Stern shut down the allegation, however, as he pointed out how he was actually happy about Cooper’s business move because he owns stock in SiriusXM and supports decisions that will bring in more subscribers.

"I don’t know Alex Cooper. And if she is young and bubbly, God bless her because I’m the opposite," he quipped.

Stern also hit back at rumors claiming SiriusXM gave him the boot because he was "too woke."

He additionally read headlines speculating he was jealous about Andy Cohen apparently being promoted at the radio network more than Stern.

"None of this is going on. None of it is true. Zero truth," Stern declared.

Of course, it wouldn't be The Howard Stern Show if he didn't slightly play into rumors about the fate of his radio broadcast, as the episode began with a voiceover of Cohen tricking fans into believing speculation had been true.

"This is, I know, not the voice that you expected to hear. This is not the voice that you probably wanted to hear, but it is I, Andy Cohen, and this is our first day broadcasting on Channel 100," he quipped, joking the channel was is now called Andy 100. "I know that you’re expecting a big announcement from Howard, and this is not how things were meant to go."

Stern eventually took over the microphone after a musical introduction used sound bites, including: "This could be the end of the Stern show."

He explained how he had to postpone his initial return from summer break last week because he got sick and lost his voice after attending Metallica's concert in the Hamptons on Thursday, August 28. Stern noted he still has a cold, which could affect his work schedule for the remainder of the week.

The delay caused several concerned friends to reach out to Stern asking if he'd been let go, to which he said on-air: "If I get fired, don’t write me."