1976–1981: WRNW, WCCC, and WWWW After graduating, Stern began his search for radio work by taking an evening position at
WRNW, a
progressive rock station in
Briarcliff Manor, New York. Despite early doubts about his talent, he briefly left for jobs in advertising—first at
Benton & Bowles, then in a creative role he lost after just three hours, before working unsuccessfully as a radio ad salesman in Queens. Realizing he had turned down a radio opportunity, he returned to WRNW, taking temporary holiday shifts in 1976 with encouragement from his mother and girlfriend. Impressed by his reliability, the station's director hired him full-time for a six-day, four-hour midday shift at $96 per week. Within months, Stern became production director, and by November 1977, he was promoted to program director with a salary of $250 per week. During this period, he lived frugally, renting a room in a
monastery in
Armonk, New York. In 1979, Stern responded to a
Radio & Records advertisement seeking a “wild, fun morning guy” at
WCCC in
Hartford, Connecticut. He created an aircheck featuring more outrageous material, blending comedy records with added sound effects and one-liners, to showcase his style, and was hired at the same salary but with a far more demanding schedule. After four hours on air, he spent another four producing and voicing commercials, along with additional production work on Saturdays and duties as public affairs director. He also hosted a Sunday morning talk show, which he preferred as it better reflected the kind of radio he wanted to create. During the
1979 energy crisis, Stern gained media attention by urging listeners to boycott the
Shell Oil Company for two days. At WCCC, he met
Fred Norris, then an overnight DJ, who became his longtime writer and producer starting in 1981. Stern left the station in early 1980 after being denied a $25-per-week raise. Around the same time, rival station
WHCN sent recordings and press coverage of Stern to the consulting firm Burkhart/Abrams in an effort to push him out of the Hartford market as his ratings grew. Consultant Dwight Douglas subsequently offered Stern a position in
Columbus, Ohio, which he declined. In his search for new work, Stern responded to a
Radio & Records listing for a morning host at
WWWW, a struggling rock station in
Detroit, Michigan. Despite advice from Douglas to wait for a better opportunity, Stern accepted the offer and began on April 21, 1980. Determined to evolve his style, he aimed to be more open and authentic on air, stripping away ego and barriers. His approach led to early industry recognition, including a
Billboard Award for Album-Oriented Rock Personality of the Year (Major Market) and a win in
Drake-Chenault’s Top Five Talent Search, with his segments distributed nationwide. Despite his personal success, the station's ratings continued to decline. In January 1981, after poor
Arbitron results, WWWW abruptly switched from rock to country music, prompting Stern to leave two weeks later, unwilling to adapt to the new format. He declined offers from
WXRT in
Chicago and
CHUM in
Toronto,
Ontario, Canada.
1981–1985: WWDC and WNBC Stern's next job came when Douglas helped him land a morning hosting position at album-oriented rock station
WWDC in
Washington. Initially cautious, later noting that the general manager “was not really aware of what I did,” Stern accepted the offer and began on March 2, 1981. While relocating from Detroit, Stern spent several weeks developing a new format, viewing the role as a key step toward his ultimate goal of working in New York City. Determined to stand out, he later recalled, “I was going to kill my competition. I was going to say whatever the fuck I was going to say ... The first step was to put my team together.” As part of that effort, he sought a co-host who could banter with him on news and current events. The station paired Stern with
Robin Quivers, a former
Air Force nurse and
news reporter at
WFBR. After hearing a tape of Stern interviewing a prostitute on air, Quivers accepted the role without meeting him, expecting a traditional news position “but it wasn't that way.” Management frequently clashed with Stern over content, eventually installing a
seven-second delay to censor potentially objectionable material. Despite this, Stern continued pushing against what he viewed as outdated restrictions, later saying, “we began to assemble the program I had envisioned.” This included bringing Norris as a writer and producer. During this period, Stern also drew attention for controversial on-air moments, including revealing his wife's miscarriage. By January 1982, Stern had built the second highest-rated morning show in the city. Impressed by Stern's rapid rise in the ratings, WWDC management offered him a one-year contract extension; however, Stern sought a longer-term deal. Around the same time, he received a five-year, $1 million offer to host afternoon programming at
WNBC in New York City. The opportunity arose after radio manager
Jerry Nachman became a fan of Stern and recommended him to the station. under close supervision and with instructions to avoid sexual or religious topics. Within his first month, he was suspended over “
Virgin Mary Kong,” a sketch involving a video game parody set in
Jerusalem. The station then implemented a seven-second delay to censor potentially offensive material, a role handled by program director
Kevin Metheny, with whom Stern had a well-known feud, nicknaming him “Pig Virus.” During his time at WNBC, Stern also began a longstanding feud with morning host
Don Imus. In 1984, Howard Stern signed with agent Don Buchwald, who later negotiated a new three-year contract for Stern with WNBC in early 1985. Stern's popularity continued to grow despite ongoing restrictions from station management. On May 21, 1984, he made his first appearance on
Late Night with David Letterman and was featured in
People, both of which increased his national exposure. Program director
John Hayes stated that efforts had been made over time to encourage changes to certain elements of the show but declined to specify further. Stern was not informed who made the final decision. In 1992, he speculated that Thornton Bradshaw, then chairman of WNBC's parent company
RCA, had heard his controversial “Bestiality Dial-a-Date” segment, aired ten days prior to his suspension, and ordered the show's cancellation. Over his two-decade tenure at WXRK, Stern's show expanded to 60 markets across North America and reached a peak audience of approximately 20 million listeners. Stern's first venture into television began when the
Fox network sought a replacement for
The Late Show, a
late-night talk show hosted by
Joan Rivers. Following discussions that began in late 1986, Stern agreed to
five one-hour pilots that were produced for an estimated $400,000, with guitarist
Leslie West as his band leader and comedian
Steve Rossi as the show's announcer. The pilots were tested with focus groups in California, but Fox ultimately declined to move forward with the series. One network executive later described the episodes as “poorly produced,” “in poor taste,” and “boring.” Stern expanded into live events with his first pay-per-view special, ''
Howard Stern's Negligeé and Underpants Party'', in February 1988. Stern's rise in radio and television in 1992 led to his first use of the self-proclaimed title “King of All Media,” initially as a tongue-in-cheek jab at
Michael Jackson, known as the “King of Pop.” In October 1992, Stern became the first to host the number one morning radio show in both the New York and Los Angeles markets simultaneously. That same month, he released
Butt Bongo Fiesta, a home video featuring “butt bongoing,” which he described as rhythmic spanking set to music; it proved a commercial success, selling about 260,000 copies and grossing over $10 million. Stern also appeared at the
1992 MTV Video Music Awards as
Fartman, a fictional superhero originating from
National Lampoon. While presenting with
Luke Perry, he took the stage in costume with his buttocks exposed. According to a trademark filing from October 1992, Stern first used the character while at WWDC in July 1981. Development began in late 1992 on
The Adventures of Fartman, a feature film based on the character, with a verbal agreement in place with
New Line Cinema. Screenwriter
J. F. Lawton was hired to draft the script and direct, alongside producer
David Permut, with a projected budget of $8–11 million. Lawton described the film as "a real comedy with a beginning, middle and an end with a strong story." The project was ultimately abandoned in 1993 due to disagreements over content, rating, and merchandising rights. In November 1993, Stern entered talks with Fox to host a late-night talk show, this time as a potential replacement for
Chevy Chase, whose
show had been canceled the previous month
1993–1994: Private Parts After
The Adventures of Fartman was shelved, Stern's agent Don Buchwald began pitching book deals to reinforce Stern's commercial appeal and generate income. In early 1993, Stern signed a roughly $1 million deal with
Simon & Schuster to write his first book,
Private Parts. He spent the summer working on it with collaborator
Larry "Ratso" Sloman and editor
Judith Regan, later calling it the most challenging project of his career. Released on October 7, 1993,
Private Parts was an immediate commercial success. Its initial print run of 225,000 copies sold out within hours, and within five days it became the fastest-selling title in Simon & Schuster's history. More than one million copies were distributed within two weeks. Stern promoted it with nationwide signings, including a New York City event that drew an estimated 10,000 attendees, with some sessions lasting up to seven hours. That same year, Billboard introduced the Nationally Syndicated Air Personality of the Year category to its annual awards, based on entertainment value, creativity, and ratings success; Stern won the award every year from 1994 through 2002. In late 1993, Stern urged his listeners to support
Christine Todd Whitman in the
New Jersey gubernatorial election, after promising to endorse the first candidate who called into his show. Following her victory, Whitman named a highway rest stop along
Interstate 295 south of
Trenton after Stern in March 1995 in recognition of his support. A $1,000 plaque installed at the site was stolen days later and mailed to Stern. The rest area later closed in 2003 amid budget cuts under Governor
Jim McGreevey. Stern held his second pay-per-view special, ''
The Miss Howard Stern New Year's Eve Pageant, on December 31, 1993. Framed as a parody beauty pageant featuring celebrity judges, the broadcast crowned the first “Miss Howard Stern.” The event was purchased by an estimated 400,000 households and generated approximately $16 million in revenue, setting a record for a non-sports pay-per-view event previously held by a 1990 New Kids on the Block concert. The program drew significant criticism, with the New York Post'' describing it as “the most disgusting two hours in the history of television.” The controversy surrounding the broadcast also derailed Stern's prospects for a second television deal with Fox, whose executives ended discussions after objecting to the show's content. In June 1994, Stern founded the Howard Stern Production Company to develop original film and television projects, as well as pursue joint production ventures. Among its early efforts was a planned feature film adaptation of
Brother Sam, a biography of comedian
Sam Kinison written by his brother. That same month, the E! network began airing weekday highlights of Stern's radio show, filmed using in-studio cameras.
Howard Stern ran for eleven years, with its final original episode airing on July 8, 2005.
1995–1997: Miss America and Private Parts film On April 3, 1995, three days after the
murder of singer
Selena, Howard Stern sparked controversy following on-air remarks about her death and
Mexican Americans. While criticizing her music, Stern played gunfire sound effects and stated, “This music does absolutely nothing for me.
Alvin and the Chipmunks have more soul ... Spanish people have the worst taste in music. They have no depth.” After three days of sustained criticism, Stern issued a response in Spanish, stating that his remarks were
satirical and not intended to offend those who admired Selena. The following day,
Justice of the Peace Eloy Cano of
Harlingen issued an
arrest warrant charging Stern with
disorderly conduct, carrying a potential fine of up to $500 should he enter the state. Stern was never arrested on the warrant. In 1995, Stern signed an advance deal with
ReganBooks worth approximately $3 million to write his second book,
Miss America. The book covered a range of topics, including his experiences with
cybersex on the
Prodigy internet service, a private meeting with
Michael Jackson, his struggles with
back pain and
obsessive–compulsive disorder, and his
campaign for Governor of New York. Upon its release on November 7, 1995,
Miss America sold 33,000 copies at
Barnes & Noble in a single day, setting a company record, and 120,000 copies in its first week. It debuted at number one on
The New York Times Best Seller list and remained there for 16 weeks. In February 1996, production began on a biographical comedy
film adaptation of
Private Parts for
Paramount Pictures. Development had taken over two years, as Howard Stern—who held final script approval—rejected multiple versions he found overly broad and unappealing. After producer
Ivan Reitman joined the project, Stern approved a script by
Len Blum and Michael Kalesniko. Filming began in May 1996 under director
Betty Thomas and lasted four months, with Stern, Quivers, and Norris portraying themselves at different stages of their lives. The production schedule was demanding, with the cast traveling to the set after daily radio shows and filming on weekends. To promote the film, Stern undertook an extensive publicity tour aimed at reaching audiences beyond his radio listeners.
Private Parts premiered on February 27, 1997, at
The Theater at Madison Square Garden, where Stern and
Rob Zombie performed “
The Great American Nightmare” for the soundtrack The film opened wide on March 7, 1997, topping the U.S. box office in its first weekend with $14.6 million and ultimately grossing $41.2 million domestically. In 1998, Stern received a
Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Male Newcomer. The soundtrack,
Private Parts: The Album, debuted at number one on the
Billboard 200 in March 1997 after selling 178,000 copies in its first week—the highest-selling debut for a film soundtrack at the time. It was certified platinum by the
Recording Industry Association of America within three months for shipments of one million copies. Stern also provided vocals on "
Tortured Man," recorded with
The Dust Brothers. In October 1997, Stern filed a $1.5 million lawsuit against Ministry of Film Inc., alleging the studio recruited him for the film
Jane, starring
Melanie Griffith, despite lacking sufficient funding. After production halted and Stern remained unpaid, he accused the studio of breach of contract, fraud, and negligent representation A settlement was reached in 1999, with Stern receiving $50,000.
1998–2004: Television and film projects In April 1998, Howard Stern announced his return to Saturday night television after signing a deal with
CBS to compete with
Saturday Night Live on
NBC and
MADtv on
Fox. His show,
The Howard Stern Radio Show, was an hour-long program airing on many CBS affiliates, featuring taped highlights from his radio show along with additional material from his nightly E! program, including animated segments and exclusive behind-the-scenes footage After debuting on August 22, 1998, across 79 stations nationwide, the show quickly began losing affiliates as local broadcasters raised concerns about its risqué content. By June 1999, the number of stations had dropped to fifty-five, and after three seasons, the final episode aired on November 17, 2001, on roughly thirty stations. Stern later reflected that the project was a mistake, noting that his existing E! show already covered similar content and that CBS had hoped to replicate the success of his earlier
Channel 9 show. In March 1999,
Forbes ranked Howard Stern at number 27 on its inaugural
Celebrity 100 list, estimating his annual earnings at $20 million During the run of his CBS television show, Stern expanded into executive production through his production company, developing several television and film projects. In September 1999, the
UPN network announced
Doomsday, an animated science-fiction comedy series initially ordered for thirteen episodes and slated for a 2000 release. Set in a post-apocalyptic America devastated by a radiation burst, it followed the Bradley family traveling cross-country in an RV in search of a new home. Stern was attached as a producer and the voice of the family's dog, Orinthal, but the series never aired. Stern's most successful executive production was
Son of the Beach, a parody sitcom of
Baywatch that aired on
FX from March 2000 to October 2002. On December 16, 2000, Stern announced during his final live radio show of the year that he had signed a new five-year contract with Infinity Broadcasting following four months of negotiations
Forbes estimated his annual earnings from the deal at between $17 million and $20 million. In October 2001, he appeared at
The Concert for New York City wearing a hazmat suit with his buttocks exposed, echoing his
1992 MTV Music Video Awards appearance In November 2001, Stern's production company began developing a weekly sitcom titled
Kane for CBS, intended as a potential replacement for
The Howard Stern Radio Show, with Ron Zimmerman writing the pilot. The show centered on “an oddball southern family and its strong-willed patriarch,” whose life changes when his long-lost wife returns with their eccentric children. The project was canceled before filming began. In late 2002, Stern acquired the rights to the films ''
Rock 'n' Roll High School (1979) and Porky's (1982) with Arclight Films, aiming to use a remake of the former to launch an unknown band. As part of the deal, he served as executive producer and could brand projects as “Howard Stern Presents,” which he said signaled something unconventional to his audience Development of Porky's'' ultimately stalled in 2011 due to legal disputes over the film's rights. In March 2003, Stern filed a $100 million lawsuit against
ABC,
Telepictures, and the producers of the reality series
Are You Hot?, alleging its premise was copied from his radio segment
The Evaluators, in which staff and guests judged contestants’ bodies. Prior to the show's debut, Stern had been in talks to produce his own version; the case was settled five months later In early 2004, Stern discussed potential plans with ABC to host an hour-long interview special for its
Primetime series, but the project did not move forward. In August 2004,
Spike ordered thirteen episodes of
Howard Stern: The High School Years, an animated series based on his childhood, with Stern as executive producer By late 2005, scripts and test animation had been completed, but the project was ultimately shelved due to high production costs, which Stern said exceeded $1 million per episode for the desired quality. Actor
Michael Cera had been cast in the lead voice role. Stern also developed a pilot with comedian
Robert Schimmel for
The WB, based on Schimmel's real-life experience of falling in love with his daughter's friend after battling cancer, though it was not picked up.
2004–2010: Signing with Sirius and terrestrial radio departure The
controversy surrounding the
Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show, broadcast live on February 1, 2004, led to a surge in audience complaints and a broader government crackdown on indecency in radio and television. In response, station managers imposed stricter content controls, which Stern later said made him feel “dead” creatively. Following fines issued to
Clear Channel Communications and
Viacom for material deemed indecent by the FCC, Stern announced on October 6, 2004 that he had signed a five-year deal with
Sirius Satellite Radio, starting in 2006. The subscription-based
satellite radio service, which was not subject to FCC broadcast regulations, offered greater creative freedom and marked what many viewed as the beginning of “a new era of radio.” Stern's final live show on terrestrial radio aired on December 16, 2005. A new studio was built for the show at Sirius's New York headquarters. On January 9, 2006, his first day on Sirius, Stern and Buchwald received 34.3 million shares of Sirius stock worth $218 million for exceeding subscriber targets, followed by an additional 22 million shares worth $82.9 million in 2007. In 2006, Stern was named to
Time’s Time 100 and ranked seventh on
Forbes’ Celebrity 100 list. That same year, he filed a trademark for “King of All Media.” After Sirius merged with
XM in 2008 to form SiriusXM, Stern received a $25 million bonus under his contract Hours before the filing, Stern held a press conference in which he characterized the lawsuit as a “personal vendetta” by CBS president
Leslie Moonves, and as a distraction from the company's declining radio performance following his departure. The case was filed in the
New York Supreme Court and assigned to Judge
Ira Gammerman. The dispute was resolved out of court in May 2006, with Sirius agreeing to pay CBS $2 million for the rights to Stern's radio archives dating back to 1985, which CBS had previously restricted from airing on Sirius.
2010–2018: Sirius contract renewals and ''America's Got Talent'' In December 2010, Stern renewed his SiriusXM contract for five years, reducing his schedule from four to three live shows per week. On March 22, 2011, Stern and Buchwald sued SiriusXM for $300 million over unpaid subscriber-based bonuses, but the case was dismissed with prejudice by Judge Barbara Kapnick on April 17, 2012; their subsequent appeal was also rejected. By mid-2011, Stern had reduced his time playing chess and turned to photography, shooting layouts for
Hamptons Magazine and later contributing to
WHIRL Magazine and the
North Shore Animal League America. During this period, Stern also established his photography business, Conlon Road Photography, named after the street he lived on while growing up in Roosevelt, New York. In 2011, Stern returned to network television as a judge on ''
America's Got Talent'', joining the show for its
seventh season as a replacement for
Piers Morgan. To accommodate Stern's radio schedule, production was relocated to
Radio City Music Hall in New York City. Following his return to television, Stern reappeared on the Forbes Celebrity 100 list, ranking No. 26. remained a judge on the program through its
eighth,
ninth and
tenth seasons. Stern departed the show at the conclusion of its tenth season in September 2015 to focus more fully on his radio career. Despite being openly critical of the organization, Stern was inducted into the
National Radio Hall of Fame in 2012. In August 2013, Stern and
Simon Cowell shared first place on
Forbes list of America's highest-paid television personalities with $95 million earned between June 2012–13. Stern and Cowell tied first place in the following year's poll with the same amount earned from June 2013–14. In 2015,
Forbes placed Stern as the world's highest paid media personality and the fifth highest earning celebrity worldwide, at $95 million. In February 2015,
Whalerock Industries announced its partnership with Stern to set up a future direct-to-consumer digital "media hub" service, with a potential mix of free and subscription-based programming. On December 15, Stern announced his new deal with SiriusXM to continue his radio show for an additional five years. The agreement also gives Sirius the rights to his radio and video archives for an upcoming on-demand streaming application until 2027. In April 2018, Stern inducted
Bon Jovi into the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
2019–present: Howard Stern Comes Again and additional Sirius contract renewals In March 2019, Stern announced his third book for
Simon and Schuster entitled
Howard Stern Comes Again, which was released on May 14, 2019. In interviews surrounding the book, Stern said psychotherapy and a 2017 kidney-cyst health scare shifted both his personal life and interviewing style, leading him toward more intimate, collaborative conversations rather than treating guests as foils. In December 2020, Stern renewed his contract with SiriusXM, agreeing to produce his show for five more years. On October 31, 2022 Stern interview with
Bruce Springsteen was filmed and released as the HBO special
The Howard Stern Interview: Bruce Springsteen. In September 2025, amid speculation about his future at SiriusXM during a summer absence and with his contract nearing expiration, Stern returned to the air and denied rumors he was leaving, fueled in part by an on-air prank involving
Andy Cohen that led to false reports he had been replaced. On December 16, 2025, he announced a new three-year SiriusXM extension, stating he had “figured out a way to have it all” with more free time while continuing the show. In April 2026, Stern and his wife Beth were sued by former executive assistant Leslie Kuhn, alleging a "hostile work environment" and "questionable business operations." ==FCC fines==