Howard Stern layoffs hit around a dozen staffers from his Sirius XM show on Monday, July 14, with the news delivered over Zoom and the employees sent home right after the call. The Howard Stern Show is now moving toward a single weekly broadcast after the Labor Day holiday, cutting sharply from its current three days a week.
Stern's new three-year deal
The reduction lands against the contract Stern signed in December of last year, a deal that re-ups his obligation to the network for another three years. His last five-year contract in 2020 reportedly made him $500 million, so the new schedule matters as more than a programming tweak: it trims output while the compensation structure remains tied to a long-running premium radio brand.
Staffers were told they would receive severance packages in line with their time with the network. Stern kept a core team of veteran producers on, and the remaining airtime is expected to be filled with material from his archive rather than fresh daily production. For a show built on volume, that is the real operational shift.
December 16 meets July 14
The cut also clashes with what Stern said on his December 16 show: “I'm happy to announce that I have figured out a way to have it all.” He added, “More free time and continuing to be on the radio,” then said, “I do like my days off. You know me, I'm never bored,” and “I'm busy every minute.” Those lines now read differently with layoffs attached to the same plan for less airtime.
Beth said on her Sirius XM radio show that “his new schedule is working out really well for him,” and that “it is very good for him to continue. He still enjoys doing it. He's still, I think, very good at it. I think it keeps him connected,” describing the show as an “outlet.” That optimism sits beside the harder business reality: fewer live days, fewer jobs, and a show that has to stretch archive material across a shorter week.
Leslie Kuhn's April 2026 suit
The layoffs also arrive amid the April 2026 lawsuit filed by Leslie Kuhn, the former executive assistant to Stern and Beth, who claimed a hostile work environment, unorganized household management, and problematic business practices tied to Beth's feline rescue. Attorneys for the Sterns denied the allegations later that month. For readers watching the Stern operation, the immediate story is no longer just a schedule change; it is a downsized staff, a thinner broadcast week, and a brand trying to hold its premium posture while cutting live output.
