No one comes off worse in Amazon's Lorena docuseries than Howard Stern

The Daily Beast

In 1993, the shock jock viewed John Wayne Bobbitt "as a veritable gift from the gods" while repeatedly mocking Lorena Bobbitt, says Nick Schager. The following year, Stern made John Wayne Bobbitt his guest of honor on his pay-per-view New Year’s Rotten Eve Pageant, which was designed to raise money for John. Stern not only wore blackface in the special, he and "his vulgar cohorts predictably ignore Lorena’s abuse," says Schager. In recent years, the 65-year-old Stern has changed his style and evolved into what Lena Dunham calls "an outspoken feminist."  But Schager describes Lorena as "a much-needed corrective, shining a caustic spotlight on the media’s disinterest in grappling with the misogyny that begat this entire sordid circus in the first place. In doing so, it illustrates how catchy headlines and shock-tactic titillations were prized above the truth. That’s a lesson still applicable in today’s clickbait-driven online environment. And it’s one epitomized by Stern and his rancid exploitation of Lorena Bobbitt’s anguish."