Howard Stern carved out a name and a reputation for himself as radio's leading "shock jock." With a huge following and a reportedly big income to boot, he is a media titan. However, per the U.S. Sun, Stern was also reportedly supposed to be treated with deference befitting a royal aristocrat by the staff. In fact, some insiders allegedly even called the company vibe kind of "cultish."
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According to the Sun, "'People were warned before any company parties not to speak to Howard...people have actually gotten fired for it,'" one insider claimed. He reportedly denies this allegation. Nevertheless, the source says that cautions to steer clear of Stern at social get-togethers persisted.
"Desperate for Howard's Attention"
A source remarked, "All of these men [who work for Stern] are so desperate for Howard's attention, it's like they all just like want Daddy's approval so bad. I think that a lot of them like acted out to get that attention. You go into that compound, and it's just pictures of Howard everywhere. And then everyone greets each other like 'Hey now, hey now,'" which is an expression that Howard Stern uses himself. The insider added, "And it all seems light and fun, but once you step back, you see it as something else."
The second source commented, "Whenever you're part of something, and you know someone is in charge of everything, you know you want to please that person."
Alleged Upheaval and Unhappiness Behind the Scenes at Stern's Show
That is not the only thing about what goes on at Stern's show that has drawn notice lately. A staff shakeup supposedly occurred after Stern reportedly inked a new SiriusXM contract in December. He will reportedly only be doing one new show a week as of this fall. Per the outlet, "Insiders revealed that a massive wave of layoffs hit the offices on February 12, less than two months after the renewal news."
Those layoffs were allegedly of people who worked behind the scenes. Someone said, "At least 40 people were let go." More reported layoffs in mid-July slashed another 16 roles at the show. Per the Sun, some people were so upset by what they felt was a meager severance package that they rebuffed the initial offer. Fans who are disturbed by Howard Stern's new, reduced schedule reportedly dumped their subscriptions to SiriusXM.
