Howard Stern Controversy: Howard Stern is a radio and television celebrity in the United States with a net worth of $650 million. From 1986 until 2005, he was a nationally syndicated radio host on terrestrial radio under the name “The Howard Stern Show.” On December 16, 2005, Howard quit “regular” radio. He afterward agreed to a five-year, $500 million agreement with Sirius Satellite Radio. On January 9, 2006, his Sirius show debuted. Howard has subsequently earned well over $1 billion from Sirius alone, in addition to hundreds of millions from traditional radio. Howard Stern Controversy?
In 1982, Howard Stern made a callous joke about a plane disaster in Washington, D.C.
Howard Stern Controversy: 78 people were killed when a jet that took off from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Virginia, collided with the adjacent 14th Street Bridge. According to The Washington Post, Stern contacted Air Florida the following day during his radio broadcast from DC-101 to inquire about the cost of a one-way ticket from the National Airport to the 14th Street Bridge.
According to Encyclopedia, the call shocked a large number of listeners, but Stern said he was expressing his personal indignation at the flight crew for allowing the jet to take off without de-icing the wings. A year later, Stern was sacked from DC-101 for a purportedly unrelated argument with management.
The FCC fined Stern for his remarks on Aunt Jemima
Howard Stern Controversy: In 1992, Stern broadcast “The closest I got to having sexual relations with a Black lady was when I masturbated in front of an Aunt Jemima pancake box. I did it correctly on her handkerchief.” Aunt Jemima has always been connected with racial stereotypes, as previously reported by Business Insider. The FCC penalized both Stern and his company, Infinity Broadcasting, $600,000 for obscenity.
Stern recently ridiculed Lorena Bobbitt, a woman acquitted of husband genital mutilation
Howard Stern Controversy: Lorena Bobbitt was acquitted of “malicious injury” in 1993 for severing her husband John Wayne Bobbitt’s penis. In her court evidence, she pleaded not guilty by reason of temporary insanity because she alleged that he had raped her before to the incident and that she had endured years of mental, physical, and sexual abuse.
In December 1993, John Wayne Bobbitt appeared on “The Howard Stern Show” following the event. Stern referred to him as “the survivor.” Stern reportedly told Refinery 29, “She didn’t want to leave him, so you know.”
Stern said, “Let me tell you something, if she didn’t want him to go so badly, she must have really enjoyed it.” John Wayne Bobbitt also appeared on the New Year’s Eve special of Howard Stern, in which the incident was reenacted.
Lorena Bobbitt was questioned in a 2019 interview with Variety if she believed Howard Stern owed her an apology for his prior statements. “From my perspective, if I had waited for everyone to apologize, it would have stopped me from going on with my life,” she stated. “And I will not wait around for everyone to apologize to me. I believe that Howard and many others lost out on significant opportunities to discuss these grave societal challenges.”
Stern ridiculed Selena’s songs after her passing
Howard Stern Controversy: Texas-born Selena Quintanilla-Pérez was a prominent Mexican-American singer-songwriter. Yolanda Saldivar, the head of her fan club, killed her in 1995. Quintanilla-Pérez only had 23 years of age. While reporting on her death on air, Stern insulted Quintanilla-supporters Pérez’s with a faux Hispanic accent and played gunshots over her song.
According to The New York Times, a court in South Texas issued a warrant charging Stern with disorderly conduct over his statements on air. Stern apologized on-air the next week in Spanish to the Quintanilla family, Pérez’s friends, and supporters.
Read More: Susan Boyle Net Worth 2022: Salary, Income, Bio & Career!
Stern made offensive statements after the Columbine school massacre
Howard Stern Controversy: Stern reported on the 1999 Columbine High School massacre on his show by making jokes and callous remarks about the kids’ sexual life one day after the tragedy. He stated, “There were some quite attractive girls sprinting with their hands over their heads.” “Did the children attempt to have sexual relations with any of the attractive women? Did they not even do that? If you’re going to destroy yourself and your children, why not at least have some sex? If I were to murder someone, I would do so through sex.”
Bob Visotcky, general manager of KXPK, the Denver radio station that syndicated Howard Stern’s show, told People that he spoke with Stern for 20 minutes immediately after the event and claimed that Stern “feels that his statements were taken out of context.”
The day before her death, Dana Plato was questioned about her sobriety during an interview on “The Howard Stern Show.”
Howard Stern Controversy: On May 8, 1999, the former child star died of an accidental drug overdose. She was 34 years old. Dana Plato appeared on “The Howard Stern Show” one day prior to her passing. Plato had previously discussed her drug use, but she stated she was clean on the episode. Stern compelled her to submit to a drug test.
According to the New York Post, after she was accused of being on drugs by her audience, she immediately volunteered to provide samples of her hair for testing. Gary Dell’Abate, the producer for Stern, trimmed a few hairs from her head.
The mother of Todd Bridges, Plato’s co-star on television, attributed her possible breakdown to Howard Stern. “After appearing on his show, she may have felt, ‘I need Valium to calm down because people believe I’m on drugs,'” she told The Post days after Plato passed away.
Stern regularly questioned Anna Nicole Smith on the broadcast about her weight
Howard Stern Controversy: During Smith’s appearance on “The Howard Stern Show,” Stern inquired about her weight. Stern said to Anna Nicole Smith, “From the way you dress and other things, I don’t think you’re conscious that you’re overweight.”
Stern then requested Smith to get on a scale to determine her weight, to which Smith said, “No.” The interview has now emerged on social media, with several individuals defending the 39-year-old Smith, who died of an accidental overdose.
Read More: Sam Pepper Controversy: How a Disgraced You Tuber Became Famous on the Tik Tok Platform
Stern’s insults against the French language led to the discontinuation of his radio program in Montreal
Howard Stern Controversy: In 1997, during Stern’s first radio broadcast in Canada, he insulted the French-speaking community of the province. “There is something about the language that transforms you into a coward,” he stated. “Whoever speaks French is a lowlife. It causes you to become a coward. Similar to during World War II, they did not defend us. We despise your culture and are invading all of you.”
According to the Associated Press, Stern’s program debuted on Q-107 and CHOM-FM in Toronto and Montreal, respectively. There are few Francophones in Toronto, the largest city in Canada, but 65 percent of the radio listener in Montreal is French-speaking. His program was ultimately canceled in 1998 in Montreal and in 2001 in Toronto due to his statements.
Stern asked Emma Bunton (aka Baby Spice) about her virginity and menstrual cycle during an interview
Howard Stern Controversy: Baby Spice (Emma Bunton) appeared on “The Howard Stern Show” in 2005. Stern quizzed a very uncomfortable Bunton about her time with the Spice Girls, but his inquiries focused more on Bunton’s physique than on the group.
He said, “You weren’t a virgin when you joined the band, were you?” Stern also inquired as to when Bunton began menstruating. Bunton said, “Absolutely not, I am not telling you that.” The Sun claimed in 2017 that the interview had emerged in light of the Harvey Weinstein crisis.
Stern mixed audiobook excerpts from Dolly Parton to create an unpleasant sound bite
Howard Stern Controversy: Stern edited together words and noises from Dolly Parton’s audiobook “My Life and Other Unfinished Business” in 2008 to create a racist and sexually explicit soundbite that made it look as if Parton was making remarks about young boys and using the “N-word.”
“I have never been more startled, saddened, and embarrassed in my whole life,” Parton told Billboard in a statement. She said, “In a blue million years, I would never utter such offensive language.” Parton also stated that she would seek legal action if it were possible. Never a lawsuit was filed. Several days later, Stern replied to the news by stating, “It’s a ridiculous story.” “It’s definitely satire and it’s hilarious,” he remarked.
Gabourey Sidibe, the fat-shaming actress
Howard Stern Controversy: According to the New York Daily News, Stern and his co-host Robin Quivers both teased Gabourey Sidibe over her weight during a segment on “The Howard Stern Show” in 2010.
“There’s the biggest, fattest Black girl I’ve ever seen,” he added. “She is massive. Everyone pretends she’s in show business and that she’ll never appear in another film again. She should have won best actress since she will never have another chance. What film will she be in?”
Alice Tan Ridley, Sidibe’s mother, objected to Stern’s remarks. “He sees, you see, I see Gabby is a big girl,” Ridley told Inside Edition. “What’s the harm in being a huge woman? She is not like the rest of the world.” She continued, saying: “I don’t see him hiring anyone, so why should we heed what he says? Someone else will hire her if he does not.”
The broadcaster referred to artist Sam Smith as a “big ugly motherfucker” who “looks queer” in 2015
Howard Stern Controversy: Stern insulted Sam Smith’s attractiveness after mentioning how much he appreciated the musician in 2015. “Do you know what I appreciate about him?” he said. “He’s an unattractive motherfucker. He’s chubby. Is he a homosexual man? He appears queer to me, not that anyone does, but he does appear effeminate.”
He went on: “I appreciate how overweight and homosexual he is. That is why I adore him. He’s one of those guys that, while talented, I believe will only have one hit song. He’s obese and queer, and tiny girls adore him.” Smith seemed to reply to the remarks on Twitter, writing, “Can’t believe what I’ve just read.”
Smith revealed in 2019 that they are nonbinary when conversing with actress Jameela Jamil. “I’m neither masculine nor female; I guess I fall somewhere in the between,” they explained. “Everything is on the spectrum.”
Stern faced controversy in 2020 for telling Harry Styles that he will end up having a sexual connection with his therapist.
Howard Stern Controversy: Harry Styles was asked about his connection with his therapist and his prior trauma during an interview on “The Howard Stern Show” in 2020. “You have some father issues,” Stern pointed out. “You require a solid male role model in your life. You require the services of a male therapist.” Stern quipped, “He’s going to fuck this lady,” when Styles interrupted that his therapist is a woman and “wonderful.” Fans think Stern went too far, despite Styles’ laughter.
Stern believes that unvaccinated persons should be denied access to hospitals and should instead “go home and die.”
Howard Stern Controversy: During an episode of his Sirius XM radio show “The Howard Stern Show,” Stern expressed his displeasure with individuals who had yet to be vaccinated. “If it were up to me, no one who wasn’t vaccinated would be admitted to a hospital,” he stated. “At this point, they’ve had enough of chances to obtain the vaccination.”
He went on: “If you don’t receive it, all hospitals in my America will be closed to you. You’re going to die at home. That is exactly what you should have. Absolutely.” Tucker Carlson, a Fox News commentator, called Stern a “coward” for his COVID-19 beliefs.
“Perhaps it was the coronavirus that ruined him, or maybe it was the hormonal changes of middle age, but he is now a coward,” he explained. Carlson stated, “His broadcast is now about cowardice.” “Amplifying his worries about flying over the air, and attacking, more accurately, assaulting everyone else who has chosen to live a free life.”
According to Insider, one in every four Americans is unwilling to get vaccinated against COVID-19 owing to probable side effects and disinformation. As vaccine skepticism persisted, the World Health Organization declared it a worldwide hazard in 2019.
