Howard Stern’s longtime writer and collaborator Fred Norris has been seen pitching himself for a new broadcasting job as uncertainty hangs over the long-running comedy program with Stern’s contract expiring at the end of the year.
Norris, 70, was openly talking about his professional options at the New York City building the Stern Show is broadcast from, an eyewitness claimed to The US Sun on Tuesday.
‘Fred was walking with another guy at Sirius and said to him, “Let me know, because I don’t know what’s going to happen come January, I might be looking for a job,”‘ the eyewitness told the publication of Norris.
Norris, a talented writer, actor and musician, has steadily worked with Stern, 71, since 1979, through his stints at radio outlets including WWDC in Washington, D.C.; WNBC and WXRK in New York City; and SiriusXM on satellite radio.
Norris was a key member of the Jackie Martling-led writing team that established The Howard Stern Show as the top-rated and most lucrative terrestrial radio program of the 1990s and early 2000s.
Daily Mail has reached out to reps for Stern and SiriusXM for further comment on the story.
Howard Stern’s longtime writer and collaborator Fred Norris has been seen pitching himself for a new broadcasting job as an uncertainty hangs over the long-running comedy program with Stern’s contract expiring at the end of the year
(L-R) Fred Norris, Ross Zapin, Mary Dell’Abate and Gary Dell’Abate pictured at SiriusXM Presents SmartLess Live in August 2024 in Amagansett, New York
The source noted to The US Sun that ‘after conversations with [longtime producer] Gary Dell’Abate and others, it sounds like [the Stern Show isn’t] expecting to re-sign with Sirius’ when the radio icon’s contract is up at the end of the year.
Former Stern Show cohost Artie Lange said in a December 2016 podcast with Martling that he felt Stern should have awarded both Martling and Norris 10-figure bonuses, as their salaries did not grow commensurate to Stern’s during the show’s most lucrative years, eventually leading to Martling’s shock exit in 2001.
‘I’m not kidding, he’s a billionaire and you guys created that show with him,’ Lange said at the time. ‘He’s amazing, alone it would’ve been a hit, but I’m not kidding you.
‘I would give Jackie and Fred $50 million in an envelope and say, “Thanks, guys” … you think I’m kidding – that’s the figure.’
An insider told Daily Mail last month that Stern staffers had been panicking about their professional futures, as ‘getting laid off has been in the back of their minds for quite some time.
‘Fear has sunk in that next week, next month, they might not have a job.’
Adding to the stress of potential unemployment were onerous nondisclosure agreements Stern made his staff sign prior to hiring them, the source said.
‘Employees can get fired instantly and lose everything, especially if Stern found out that they broke their confidentiality agreement,’ the source told Daily Mail, noting that some of the staffers were ‘talking about leaving’ should a new opportunity present itself.
Norris is a writer, musician and actor; pictured appearing on NBC’s Law & Order: SVU in 2013
The King of All Media attended the North Shore Animal League America Celebration of Rescue at Tribeca 360 on June 12, 2025 in NYC
An X/Twitter user under the handle @bringbackjackie – who has live blogged The Howard Stern Show for more than a decade – said that it had been years since Norris showcased his comedic or musical talents as a creative force on the Stern Show.
‘Fred has been mailing it in for years, which is not surprising considering Howard has been mailing it in for years,’ @bringbackjackie told Daily Mail.
Norris’ contemporary contributions mainly consist of playing sound effects to signal the presence of other personalities on the show, such as Dell’Abate or Stern staffer J.D. Harmeyer, @bringbackjackie told Daily Mail.
‘Fred’s contribution to the show consists of nothing more now than the same stale drops, such as playing the J.D. laugh when J.D. is on air,’ he said, and ‘playing Gary clearing his throat when Gary is on air.’
Monique presides over a long-running Stern-themed message board under the Radio Gunk brand, as well as a podcast about the legendary radio show.
She told Dailymail.com she felt Norris was probably joking about looking for new employment, as his unique skill set perfectly fits into the Stern Show – but might not elsewhere.
‘I am stunned to think he wasn’t talking in jest, as it doesn’t seem remotely feasible,’ Monique told Daily Mail.
She asked, ‘In what world would a 70-year-old man who has been working his entire adult life be soliciting for a job that he most likely has zero qualifications for, since no other contemporary show uses [Stern-centric sound effects], what else is he good for?’
Daily Mail was first to report this summer that the Stern Show could be in jeopardy at the end of the Private Parts star’s five-year contract in December
Monique said that many of Stern’s staffers might find a cold winter ahead when they seek employment in other areas of the entertainment industry.
‘Most of the workers there have only had this one job their entire adult lives, they only know the Howard Stern way of doing things, and are uniquely unqualified to go anywhere else,’ Monique said.
She cited Stern staffer J. D. Harmeyer as a person ‘whose job that AI could easily take over,’ and asked of Dell’Abate, ‘Who needs a talent booker who has 5 assistants, and basically coattails off of guests already coming to Sirius for various interviews?’
Daily Mail was first to report this summer that the Stern Show could be in jeopardy at the end of the Private Parts star’s current five-year contract in December.
‘He may do a one-to-two year contract if they can meet him where he wants financially,’ an insider told Daily Mail in August. ‘He doesn’t want to pull the plug on his employees like this.’
It’s been a difficult few years for Stern personally, who has seen the deaths of his close confidantes Ralph Cirella, his longtime stylist, and Don Buchwald, his stalwart agent, in recent years.
His longtime friendship with now-President Donald Trump effectively ended when Trump seriously entered the political fray, and professional future remains as murky as ever amid an evolving landscape in the comedy world with the recent ouster of Stephen Colbert and professional pressure exerted on his protege, Jimmy Kimmel.
The Howard Stern Show runs from Mondays through Wednesdays on SiriusXM.
