Joshua Goldman
Joshua Goldman
min read · September 8, 2025 · Entertainment

Howard Stern Trolls Fans with Andy Cohen 'Takeover' Prank

Howard Stern (pictured with wife Beth Stern last month) has renewed his contract with SiriusXM after trolling fans with a fake cancellation announcement

SHOCKING TWIST! Howard Stern Trolls Fans with Fake Cancellation Announcement, but is His SiriusXM Deal Really in Jeopardy?

In a move that left fans gasping for air, radio legend Howard Stern pulled off an epic prank on his loyal listeners by announcing the cancellation of his iconic SiriusXM show, "Howard 100". The mastermind behind the bit was none other than Andy Cohen, who took over the mic and pretended to be flustered by the news. But as it turns out, this was all just a clever ruse to throw off the haters.

Stern's stunt came on the heels of swirling rumors that his SiriusXM deal might not be renewed. Insiders had been whispering about the 71-year-old shock jock's contract being up for grabs, sparking speculation about what would happen next. But instead of denying the rumors outright, Stern chose to turn them into a clever promo for his show.

Stern's show Howard 100 kicked off with a staged bit Monday morning the saw a flustered Andy Cohen hosting the program (pictured)

"I'm going to have to fill everyone in," Stern said as he joined Monday morning's broadcast, sounding like a guilty conscience confessing its sins. "I was just getting so f*g annoyed with everyone writing me, asking me if I was okay because I'd been fired."

It turns out that Stern had simply postponed his return from summer break due to illness – not contract negotiations. But the rumors were still lingering, and Stern couldn't resist taking a swipe at the media's obsession with drama.

"None of it is true, zero truth," he declared. "What pisses me off is that now I can't leave. I've been thinking about retiring. Now I can't."

'I know you're expecting a big announcement from Howard and this is not how things were meant to go,' Cohen told listeners. 'This was supposed to be a cleaner hand off. I'm kind of winging it'

Stern has been with SiriusXM since 2006, and his deal has seen him become one of the highest-paid personalities in broadcasting. But as the company faces a dwindling subscriber base (down to 33 million paid subscribers in Q2 2025), some are wondering if Stern's tenure is at risk.

Rumors have been circulating that SiriusXM's contract renewal talks with Stern had hit a snag, but the company's president and chief content officer Scott Greenstein seemed confident about their relationship. "He's been with us for two decades, and so he's pretty happy," Greenstein told The Hollywood Reporter in 2024. "Nobody will ever replace them. We would never try to replace them."

Stern has had his fair share of controversies over the years, from parading strippers through his New York studio to sparking a heated debate about indecency on radio. But despite these battles with the FCC and skeptical executives, he's managed to maintain his edge as the "King of All Media".

Speculation that Stern (pictured last month) was axed from SiriusXM grew after last week after he postponed his return from a summer break to The Howard Stern Show. But he revealed during Monday's morning broadcast that he had been battling sickness

As news broke of Stern's prank announcement, fans took to social media to express their outrage – or was it? Some were in on the joke from the get-go, while others were genuinely shocked by the fake cancellation.

But let's be real: this whole ordeal has left us wondering – is Stern really on his way out at SiriusXM?

As for now, Stern seems happy to stay put. "I'm very happy at Sirius," he declared, echoing Greenstein's sentiments about their long-term partnership.

Stern (pictured in 2018) joined what was then Sirius Satellite Radio Inc. nearly 20 years ago and became one of the highest-paid personalities in broadcasting and was a game-changer for both the company and the industry

So what's next for the Howard Stern Show? Only time will tell, but one thing's for sure: we'll be tuning in to find out.

THE SCHOLARLYNOTE.COM EXCLUSIVE

Stay tuned for more updates on this developing story.