Howard Stern has cut around a dozen staffers from his Sirius XM show and is preparing to trim The Howard Stern Show to one new episode a week after Labor Day. The move reduces a program that currently airs three days a week and sends a sharper signal about how the show will run once summer ends.
Staff got the news over Zoom on Monday, July 14, and were sent home right after the call. They will receive severance packages based on their time with the network, while the remaining airtime is expected to lean on Stern's archive rather than fresh studio production.
December and the new contract
In December of last year, Stern signed a new contract that re-ups his obligation to the network for another three years. On his December 16 show, he said, "I'm happy to announce that I have figured out a way to have it all," adding, "More free time and continuing to be on the radio."
He also said, "I do like my days off," "I'm never bored," and "I'm busy every minute." Those lines now sit next to a much smaller weekly workload, which makes the staffing cut look less like a routine adjustment and more like a reset of how the show is built day to day.
Beth on Sirius XM
Beth said on her Sirius XM radio show to Andy Cohen that "his new schedule is working out really well for him." She also said, "I feel that it's very good for him to continue," "He's still, I think, very good at it," and "I think it keeps him connected."
That view matches the practical shape of the change: less live output, more reliance on archive material, and a tighter weekly rhythm after the Labor Day holiday. For listeners, the show shifts from a three-day schedule to a single weekly edition, with the rest of the slot filled by older material.
Labor Day and the archive
The big operational question is which parts of the show survive in the new setup, since the staff cuts were immediate and the weekly plan leans on Stern's archive. The live product is being reduced first; the archive will have to carry the rest.
Howard Stern has been on Sirius XM since 2006, so this is not a debut-era experiment. It is a late-career recalibration: fewer original hours, fewer staffers, and a contract that still runs for three more years.
