Howard Stern Cut Himself Off From His Staffers And May Have Risked The End Of His Show
Howard Stern Cut Himself Off From His Staffers And May Have Risked The End Of His Show© Provided by TheThings

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  • Howard Stern's COVID Controversy
  • Is Howard Stern Ever Coming Back To Studio?
  • Howard Stern's Celebrity Guests Don't Agree With Him
  • Howard Stern's Disconnected From His Staffers

For many Howard Stern fans, one of the best parts of his show is the camaraderie. Or, rather, the relentless, childish, and often brutal teasing Howard and his gaggle of well-paid staffers inflict upon one another. But that dynamic has changed over the years.

In fact, a lot has changed on SiriusXM's The Howard Stern Show. This has been the prevailing thought among his old fanbase who loathe how "Hollywood" the once outlandishly edgy star has become. But even after this personal and creative evolution, much of Howard's fanbase has been loyal. They know Howard conducts epic celebrity interviews, can cause controversy when ranting about celebrities like Johnny Depp, and still likes to imbibe in some wacky staffer antics.

But even the parts of The Stern Show that have been firing on all cylinders for decades have felt disconnected since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to fans on Reddit and Youtube. And this has a lot to do with the fact that the self-proclaimed King Of All Media hasn't even seen any of his colleagues for two years. Many of them have seen each other, but Howard has remained utterly cut off from the world since March 2020... and it seems his integration back to society will be a hard obstacle to overcome.

Updated on December 8, 2022: Howard Stern took a huge step at the end of September. He was spotted with friends Jimmy Kimmel, Jennifer Aniston, Jon Hamm, and Jason Bateman (among others) seated at dinner in an Israeli restaurant. It appears he was even out without a mask, at least at the table. This is recorded as the first time Stern has left his property since the beginning of shutdown in 2020, marking it as a momentous occasion for the star.

Howard Stern's COVID Controversy

The vast majority of Howard's fans seem to be with him on his stance about the necessity of getting vaccinated against COVID-19. In fact, most of his callers and fans online appear to side with him on a lot of his opinions about the unprecedented global pandemic. Those who don't share Howard and the CDC's views on the importance of vaccines, masks, and social distancing simply tuned out as soon as he started to voice these opinions in 2020.

There's no doubt that Howard has tried to effect some positive change in a country suffering from a larger death toll than others. But his obsession and fears have gotten the better of him as he's recorded his show from the safety of his basement since March 2020. Staffers are all remote, including his co-host, Robin Quivers, and guests may go to either of the SiriusXM studios for their Zoom interviews, but they're entirely alone. All of their wacky and downright funny antics have been relegated to online forums, which don't allow for the same enjoyment.

This simply isn't the "hang-out" vibe The Howard Stern Show perfected.

And this doesn't appear to be changing any time soon. Even though regular guest, personal friend, and pandemic expert Dr. David Agus has suggested that Howard and others can take some steps back into the real world after being vaccinated, the former shock jock has refused.

Is Howard Stern Ever Coming Back To Studio?

Even in spring 2022, Howard has no plans of returning to the studio, interviewing anyone in person, or allowing his staffers to work in the same building. Even his die-hard fans seem to be tired of Howard's unflexible stance given that the rest of their favorite shows (radio and television) have all found a way to work in communal spaces and even host live audiences.

Related: Howard Stern Is Shelling Out A Ton Of Money To Keep His Mother Alive

It's 2022 and Howard's rants about the virus, anti-vaxxers, and government policy have dominated his show for two years. Howard may have science on his side for much of what he says, but his admitted germophobia has made him a total and utter recluse. This is something Howard has talked about struggling with for a very long time, but it seems to have only gotten worse.

Howard Stern's Celebrity Guests Don't Agree With Him

Despite ranting about the "back to normal" activities of the American population on a daily basis, Howard interviews celebrities who have all found a balance in 2022. Howard doesn't seem to interview stars who've denied the presence or dangers of the virus. Each of them appears to be vaccinated. But they've left their houses, conducted business, and seen their family and friends.

He has admitted to only recently allowing select family members into his house after they've been tested.

There's a very clear disconnect between him and even his closest friends/guests like Jimmy Kimmel, who returned to host his own show in front of an audience, went to restaurants, and started traveling over a year ago.

Related: How Much Does Fred Norris Make On The Howard Stern Show?

In almost every one of Howard's recent interviews, the subject comes up. He wants to know how each of his guests are keeping safe. But they aren't keeping safe to his standards. Many of them have asked to see Howard, but he's flat-out rejected the offer. He wants absolutely no chance of getting sick.

This has not only cut him off from society, but also from celebrity interactions which tend to give him entertaining fodder for his show.

Howard Stern's Disconnected From His Staffers

Even though Howard hasn't and won't return to work, a few select staffers have been seen at The Stern Show compound. This was revealed on his April 26th, 2022 show. Some have returned with masks, others without. According to producer Gary 'Ba Ba Booey' Dell'Abate on The Wrap Up Show, there's some dissension among the ranks in terms of COVID policies despite them all being vaccinated. But almost everyone has found a middle ground, excluding Howard.

Howard is the only one who has remained isolated. Gary also stated that Howard is part of a "judgy" environment in terms of how the staffers have chosen to go about their lives. Both of his Wrap Up Show co-hosts, Jon Hein and Rahsaan Rogers agreed. Jon even punctuated the discussion by saying, "[One] will go bats**t crazy if you don't try to make things comfortable and try to interact with others."

Numerous other staffers, including producers Jason Kaplan and Jonathan Blitt, who recently attended two Phish concerts, also shared their feelings with Howard on the air. Almost all the other staffers have shared stories and photos of themselves at events (like the Super Bowl), restaurants, and gatherings. Each and every time, Howard criticizes these choices.

It further proves there's a divide between him, his employees, and the vast majority of his audience who have also attempted to find balance.

Howard, of course, can choose to live his life any way he wants. But there's no doubt that his physical absence has hurt his interviews, his staff antics, and even his back and forth with Robin.

In Maureen Callahan's scathing New York Post article about how "Howard Stern has lost his sting", she pointed out that it appears the radio legend doesn't want things to go back to normal. She believes that he wants to cut himself off from the world.

Those who still adore Howard Stern, his show, his interviews, his self-effacing sense of humor, and his staffers, hope that she's wrong. They're just waiting for Howard to prove it.

Next: Howard Stern Speaks Out On "Strange" Relationship With Gilbert Gottfried