Was Howard Stern's show canceled? SiriusXM host debunks rumors after staging a fake Andy Cohen introduction

On Monday, September 8, Howard Stern gave his viewers a scare by staging a stunt with Andy Cohen. The 71-year-old host, who was going to address rumors about his show being canceled on SiriusXM this Monday, appeared to have been replaced by Andy Cohen, who greeted the listeners on his channel slot, saying:

"I know you’re expecting a big announcement from Howard, and this is not how things were meant to go. This was supposed to be a cleaner hand off - I’m kind of winging it."

Cohen continued to claim that it had been a “surreal morning here, adding that he couldn't possibly fill the void left behind by Stern. However, soon afterwards, Cohen was joined by Howard Stern himself, who then thanked his fellow host for helping him out with the stunt, and saying:

"Lest anyone think that was real, that was all masterminded by me."

The stunt debunks the rumors of Howard Stern leaving SirusXM and indicates that his show will continue to air on the broadcasting channel. Stern also revealed that his announcement, which was originally scheduled to take place last Monday, had to be rescheduled because he was sick. He revealed his ailment to be a persist case of cold.

HOWARD STERN TROLLS THE WORLD YET AGAIN!

ANDY COHEN OPENS SHOW CLAIMING HE HAS REBRANDED HOWARD'S CHANNELS AS ANDY 100 & ANDY 101.

— X TWITR USER (@bigleagues) September 8, 2025

Stern's current deal with SiriusXM is due for renewal at the end of this year.  While the media personality praised Jennifer Witz - the CEO of SiriusXM - and added that that he was "very happy" at the channel, he hasn't yet announced any details of his new contract. 

Howard Stern has been with SiriusXM for 20 years now

Variety reports that this would be his fifth contract renewal with the radio broadcast channel, with the last one inked in 2020. The 71-year-old first signed with Sirius in 2004, before its merger with XM. Two years later, in January 2006, The Howard Stern Show debuted on the channel.

Per the media outlet, his original deal with SiriusXM was for $500 million over five years, including stocks. A Bloomberg report claims that his most recent deal, signed in 2020, was paying Stern $120 million annually.

Howard's Andy Cohen stunt comes nearly a week after the SiriusXM executives acknowledged his deal being in the talks. Jennifer Witz spoke about it at an investment conference (on September 3), saying:

"I think he’s been core to our platform for over 20 years, so I’m confident we’ll get to the right place."

This isn't the first time Howard Stern has pranked his listeners. Earlier this year, in July, the host claimed to have heard from his people that his co-host Robin Quivers had died, which had obviously not happened. 

Some time later, he also said that he was likely getting fired by SiriusXM for being "too woke," adding that he didn't know what the term even meant.

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