Howard Stern Responds to ‘Woke’ Claims Amid SiriusXM Future Uncertainty

Howard Stern isn’t holding back — blasting rumors he was axed from SiriusXM for being ‘too woke’ and setting the record straight on his show’s future.

The 71-year-old shock jock addressed the speculation head-on during a candid chat with Andy Cohen on Thursday, slamming the claims while giving fans an update on the fate of The Howard Stern Show.

‘I was on vacation and the next thing I know I was in Stephen Colbert land where I was being thrown off by the FCC somehow, I don’t know what, whatever it was or because I’m too woke… Too woke? I don’t even know what woke is. What is woke?” Stern said, exasperated.

He continued, ‘If I’m too woke, the world has turned upside down. I mean, the stuff I do and talk about, I don’t even know what that means. But you know what, if it means I’m awakened, God bless.’

Stern’s comments come amid long-standing chatter about his retirement and contract status at SiriusXM, where his current five-year deal — worth a reported $100 million per year — is set to expire at the end of 2025. 

The radio icon, however, insists he’s not going anywhere just yet.

‘But I’m not being fired. I’m talking to Sirius right now about extending in some way, and if that works out, great,’ Stern said.

‘I love this company; I do. And when I signed on I think it was 200,000 subscribers. XM was killing us. And my dream, just like when I used to go to sh**** radio stations, ‘Let’s f****** win.’ 

‘And now today, there’s this robust company, I’m very proud of it. And if I do end up staying with this company, I’m going to take ownership of it.’

Cohen agreed, replying, ‘As you should. You built it.’

When asked if he has a favorite era from his decades-long run, Stern said it’s impossible to pick one — because the show must evolve with him.

‘The show has to constantly change and evolve. At my age now, it can’t be what I did when I was 20, right? It can’t be when I was 30,” Stern said. 

‘When I started the show, all I thought about was, “I’ve got to break down every taboo,’ right? You know, they say I can’t talk about sex. I’d have porn stars in every day. It was salacious, obviously. 

‘But at the same point too, it seemed to me to stick a thumb in the eye and to talk about religion, to talk about sexuality, anything, you talk about drug use, anything you weren’t supposed to. 

‘Why is everything so f******taboo? And so I was a young, angry guy. I didn’t think about the consequences of anything I said.’ 

The Daily Mail previously reported that the cancelation news was just a ‘publicity stunt’ and ‘desperate hoax’ designed to boost listener numbers.

‘It was something they came up with on a viral scale to get people to tune in again. The numbers are so pathetic that they don’t know what to do,’ they continued. 

A source had told the Daily Mail that his September launch was going to be ‘like a mea culpa to get the audience that he alienated back to listening to him’.

The source added: ‘Stern could’ve retired 10 years ago. He’s not planning on retiring any time soon.’ 

Stern had previously addressed the rumors about the future of the show on September 8. 

Speaking to co-host Robin Quivers, he said: ‘Everything you’ve been reading in the paper about me or about Robin is completely false.’ 

‘I’ve been thinking about retiring. Now I can’t, because then they’ll say I got pushed out. So, I’ll be back. Here’s the truth: SiriusXM and my team have been talking about how we go forward in the future. 

‘They’ve approached me, they’ve sat down with me, like they normally do, and they’re fantastic. We’ve been talking.’

Amid all the fake news, Stern revealed that he had ‘heard from a lot of companies who want the show,’ but said he’s ‘very happy’ at SiriusXM.