Howard Stern shuts down retirement rumours, inks new 3-year deal

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Howard Stern isn’t ready to retire just yet. The famed 71-year-old shock jock has announced he’ll be staying on the air with Sirius XM for three more years.

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“I’m old as f—. I’m not supposed to be working … On the one hand, I want to stop and smell the roses … To be free of the career would be a blessing, for sure,” Stern said on his show on Tuesday morning. But after over 50 years on the air, Stern said he would miss the show — and his fans — too much.

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“I love being on the radio … I’m happy to announce that I figured out a way to have it all. More free time and continuing to be on the radio, so yes, we are coming back for three years,” he said, before joking, “I hope I don’t die during this contract because I’m at that weird age.”

Questions had swirled on Stern’s status on satellite radio after reports earlier this summer indicated that Sirius was ready to part ways with the the morning show host after 20 years.

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Stern had mulled retirement over the last year, but according to a report published by the U.S. Sunthere was “no way” Sirius could afford to “keep paying his salary.”

“Stern’s contract is up in the fall and while Sirius is planning to make him an offer, they don’t intend for him to take it,” one insider told the outlet in August. “Sirius and Stern are never going to meet on the money he is going to want. It’s no longer worth the investment.”

Another source said that Stern’s criticism of U.S. President Donald Trump and Americans who refused to take the COVID-19 vaccine were also likely playing a role in the two sides deciding to part ways.

But Stern said the company supported him and wanted to continue working with him.

“The problem was me … There was a whole bunch of back and forth … I love these guys at SiriusXM. I truly do,” Stern said Tuesday as he announced his new deal. “I feel very loyal to this company. They did want me to come back, and they said, ‘Whatever you want to do, we’ll do for you.’ Who says that to anybody? When does your boss say that?”

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Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed, but Stern said he was able to create a “more flexible schedule” going forward.

His last deal was inked in 2020 and reportedly was worth between $450 million and $500 million for five years.

When Stern signed with Sirius Satellite Radio in 2006, the service had 700,000 subscribers. According to Bloomberg, SiriusXM now has 33 million subscribers and 170 million monthly listeners.

Trump cheered on report suggesting Stern would be retiring

Stern said the constant chatter around his status throughout the summer and speculation that he was being fired “irked me.”

“They were making me out to be some sort of loser,” Stern said as he played clips of various media reports saying he was being cancelled. “All I can tell you is … I’ve done everything there is to do in radio and these f—ing a–holes, my brothers in broadcasting, all gleefully happy because they can only dream about what I’ve accomplished … Listen to the vicious lies … it’s just dumb s—.”

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Stern didn’t address Trump’s criticism, but earlier this summer the president was asked by a reporter, Brian Glenn of Real America’s Voice, about the gossip and whether “the hate Trump business model is going out of business because it’s not popular with the American people.”

“Well, it hasn’t worked, and it hasn’t worked for a long time,” Trump replied.

Stern continued to recount how the endless reports that he was retiring amid Trump’s barbs got under his skin. But after his decision to stay on the air three more years, Stern is left wondering what his next act will be.

“I need me time. I’ve never had me time. I’ve been working my whole life. Never really having a personal life. I thought maybe at this point in my life, I could have some free time. It would be sad, but exciting for me,” said Stern. “I was really torn up. I still do love being on the radio. I think the show is better than ever.”

mdaniell@postmedia.com

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