Howard Stern Still 'Hurt' By Artie Lange's Exit Nearly 10 Years Later
It’s been eight years since Artie Lange was forced off the Howard Stern Show following his battle with drug addiction, and RadarOnline.com has exclusively learned the Shock Jock is still hurt by the loss.
According to an insider on the show, Stern never fully recovered after having to let Lange go.
"When Artie left, Howard kind of felt betrayed in a sense," the insider told RadarOnline.com. "Like Artie had all of these opportunities and all of these chances, but he let his addiction get to him."
In 2010, the 50-year-old ended his nearly 10-year stint on the show after several failed rehab attempts and a DUI charge.
"He ruined every chance he got," the insider added. "Artie was digging his own grave, and Howard just couldn't watch it happen anymore. He had no choice but to let him go."
Stern, 64, never filled Lange's spot since the comedian left the show.
"I still think to this day, Howard is still hurt," the insider admitted. "But after years of moving on, I just don't think Howard wants to go through that again. He really cared about Artie, and once you shut someone out of their life for good, it really was like Artie had died. And Howard struggled with that in the beginning. So of course there was this sense of betrayal, and a huge void that Howard himself had a hard time grappling with."
Lange still continues to struggle with drug addiction to this day. In March of 2017, the comic was arrested for possession of heroin and drug paraphernalia.
He was arrested again in December for failure to appear in court following the charges. He is expected back in court for sentencing March 16 after his February 23 court date was pushed back.
Lange's lawyer, Frank Arleo, described the reasons for postponing the date due to Lange's health issues with diabetes. Arleo added that there was a good chance his court date this month could be postponed again if Lange is still not well enough to attend.
Lange's mother, Judy Lange, previously spoke to RadarOnline.com about her trouble son's constant run-ins with the law.
"Artie has to take care of a few things. He’s got diabetes, so that doesn’t help. He’s okay, as much as he can be. But he is fighting addiction — trying to get through that, and hopefully he will."
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