Howard Stern is back from his summer break — and he returned with a stunt that fooled millions, enraged the media, and sent SiriusXM listeners into a frenzy.
The 71-year-old shock jock opened Monday’s show with a bombshell “announcement” that his long-running Howard Stern Show had been canceled — and Bravo’s Andy Cohen would be replacing him.
Listeners tuned in expecting Stern’s hyped comeback, only to hear Cohen’s voice instead.
“I know you’re expecting a big announcement from Howard,” Cohen began solemnly. “Howard and the executive team at Sirius felt that it was best to kinda part ways now.”
He even claimed the network would rebrand Stern’s iconic Howard 100 channel as “Andy 100.”
Within minutes, Variety broke the “news” with a headline declaring Stern’s departure. The Associated Press and CNBC followed suit, flashing “Howard Stern Parts Ways With SiriusXM” across TV screens nationwide.
BREAKING: @bravoandy took over @siriusxm Ch. 100. Tune in now for more. pic.twitter.com/5352WQE6XH
— Stern Show (@sternshow) September 8, 2025
Social media exploded. Fans panicked. Even Wall Street whispered about SiriusXM’s future.
Then Stern stepped in and dropped the hammer: “Lest anyone think that was real, that was all masterminded by me.”
“I said to Andy, ‘Would you cut a bit for us?’” Stern explained on-air. “And he immediately said yes. I told him, ‘Go as long as you want, because the longer it goes on, the more people will think it’s real.’”
It worked. The Associated Press updated its article. Variety scrambled to retract its story. SiriusXM execs stayed silent, letting Stern enjoy every second of the chaos.
Rumors of Stern’s departure have been swirling for months. Last month, reports surfaced suggesting SiriusXM may not renew Stern’s staggering $500 million, five-year deal set to expire soon.
President Donald Trump — once a frequent guest on Stern’s show — even used the speculation to take a jab at his longtime frenemy.
“You know when he went down? Before… when he endorsed Hillary Clinton, he lost his audience,” Trump said recently. “People said, ‘Give me a break.’ He went down when he endorsed Hillary Clinton.”
Stern brushed off Trump’s swipe, but Monday’s prank made it clear: he isn’t going anywhere — yet.
While rumors swirled, Stern revealed the real reason behind his delayed return last week.
“I had no voice whatsoever,” Stern said, explaining he’d been sick with a brutal cold. “I was just getting so f—ing annoyed with everyone writing me, asking if I’d been fired.”
He insisted negotiations with SiriusXM are “normal” and “fantastic,” adding that the company’s “been nothing but lovely.”
Still, Stern admitted the prank backfired a little. “What p—es me off is now I can’t leave,” he joked. “I’ve been thinking about retiring… now I can’t.”
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