EXCLUSIVE: Howard Stern's Fight for His Empire — Shock Jock Struggling to Finalize Deal With SiriusXM as $500million Contract Comes to an End
Howard Stern's fight for empire intensifies as SiriusXM deal ends with $500million contract expiration.
Sept. 29 2025, Published 8:00 a.m. ET
Shattered shock jock Howard Stern is fighting to save his job at SiriusXM and hang on to his self-proclaimed title as King of All Media – but the satellite network is aiming to sideline the aging star after the conclusion of his current contract to clear the field for more relevant talent, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
But if Stern, 71, fails to secure a profitable new deal, he plans to save face by announcing he's leaving his radio home of two decades to be by the side of his ailing mom, 97-year-old Ray Schiffman Stern, according to sources.
Howard Stern's Fight To Save His Job
Stern's contract is coming to an end after five years.
The professional blabbermouth recently blindsided fans – and his 95 employees – by unexpectedly announcing that he'd return to The Howard Stern Show nearly a week later than planned from his scheduled summer break.
Sources suggested the move had a secondary motive to show SiriusXM he doesn't need the job he's scrambling to keep as he attempts to nail down a new agreement since his five-year $500 million deal expires at the end of 2025.
However, sources told RadarOnline.com that the host's popularity is fading and SiriusXM wants to free up cash to hold on to hot properties like Call Her Daddy podcast queen Alex Cooper, 31, and ESPN firebrand Stephen A. Smith, 57.
"Stern is bleeding listeners – and SiriusXM knows it," an insider told RadarOnline.com. "They're looking at who's next. Alex Cooper is the future of the platform – they gave her $125 million for three years for a reason. She's young, digital-first and advertisers love her."
Who Will Take Howard Stern's Spot?
Scott Greenstein calls Stephen A. Smith a 'singular talent and one of the most influential voices in media today.'
Smith recently inked a multiyear contract with SiriusXM to provide a daily talk show for Mad Dog Sports Radio and another spot where he can blather about weekly current events and pop culture.
"Stephen A. is a singular talent and one of the most influential voices in media today," gushed SiriusXM's president and chief content officer Scott Greenstein.
Insiders also claimed talks with Stern hit a roadblock as the company considers making a lowball offer that they don't intend for him to take.
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SiriusXM plans to elevate Cooper and Smith to carry the brand into the next decade.
Meanwhile, Stern has shared that his personal life has hit some rough patches – including the 2022 prostate cancer death of his 99-year-old dad, Ben, his pandemic-era arguments with wife Beth Ostrosky, 53, over his germophobe ways and his beloved mom's ongoing problems with physical pain.
Now, the spy says SiriusXM is letting Stern know he's yesterday's news.
"They want to move up Alex Cooper and Stephen A. Smith," the insider shared. "Those are the names they see carrying the brand into the next decade."
