Howard Stern was trending on social media late Tuesday night as rumors spread that his show would not be renewed for another round on SiriusXM after a nearly 20-year run.
All of those rumors come from a story published by The U.S. Sun which said that the satellite radio and streaming provider would not re-up Stern when his contract runs out at the end of the year. Instead, according to the report, SiriusXM would look to make a deal with Stern for his catalogue.
The Sun cited an unnamed “insider” as saying that SiriusXM does intend to offer Stern a new contract at the end of the year, but it does not expect him to take it.
“Sirius and Stern are never going to meet on the money he is going to want,” the unnamed person said per the Sun. “It’s no longer worth the investment.”
No other outlet was reporting the news with sourcing other than the Sun’s report on Tuesday night, meaning that no one has yet to officially go on the record to say that Stern is out.
That said, the 71-year-old has discussed openly on air for some time the decision he would have to make — whether to resign a deal and come back or retire — this year so while it would be heartbreaking for Stern fans to see him go, it probably would not be a surprise.
While there is still no official report with either SiriusXM or Stern on the record, the move had social media churning into the earlier morning hours Wednesday. Much of that had to do with Stern’s political leanings as he has openly sided with liberal ideologies in recent years.
“Howard Stern off Sirius,” Lindell TV’s Vanessa Broussard wrote. “Not renewing his contract after 20 years. Go woke, Go home!”
If SiriusXM does not renew Stern, or if Stern walks away from radio as he has flirted with, he would not do so empty handed.
Celebritynetworth.com estimates that he has a fortune of $650 million.