Howard Stern, the shock jock and self-anointed “king of all-media,” isn’t about to disappear from the airwaves.
The radio personality behind SiriusXM’s long-running “Howard Stern Show” said Monday he remains in talks with the entertainment company over a new contract after a prank left some listeners wondering whether he was leaving the platform.
“SiriusXM and my team have been talking about how we go forward in the future, they’ve approached me. They’ve sat down with me like they normally do and they’re fantastic,” Stern, 71, said during his show. “We’ve been talking.”
A SiriusXM spokesperson wouldn’t address the company’s talks with Stern.
The comments came after a stunt Stern pulled on his show in collaboration with Andy Cohen, a fellow SiriusXM host and TV personality. Instead of the normal kickoff from Stern on Monday morning, listeners were greeted by Cohen telling them he was taking over the slot and rebranding it as “Andy 100.”
“This is, I know, not the voice you expected to hear,” said Cohen. The host of “Andy Cohen Live” went on to say that this was not how things were meant to go.
“This was supposed to be a cleaner hand off,” Cohen said. “I’m kind of winging it.”
Fifteen minutes later, Stern returned to the airwaves and thanked Cohen for his help pulling off the hoax. “Lest anyone think that was real, that was all masterminded by me,” Stern said.
Addressing rumors about the show getting canceled, Stern added: “Everything you’ve been reading in the paper about me or about Robin is completely false.”
Stern’s contract with SiriusXM expires at the end of this year. The radio host has extended his contract with SiriusXM twice before, in 2010 and again in 2020 with a five-year, $500 million deal, according to Forbes.
Mary Cunningham is a reporter for CBS MoneyWatch. Before joining the business and finance vertical, she worked at “60 Minutes,” CBSNews.com and CBS News 24/7 as part of the CBS News Associate Program.
Howard Stern gave listeners a shock on Monday morning when Andy Cohen took over his timeslot and claimed the channel was now called “Andy 100.”
The stunt came after weeks of promos that promised a big reveal, following swirling speculation that Stern’s show would be cancelled. “The tabloids have spoken: Howard Stern fired, cancelled,” one promo video said. “Is it really bye-bye Booey?”
“I know that you’re expecting a big announcement from Howard, and this is not how things were meant to go,” Cohen, 57, said on-air Monday morning. “There’s been a lot of talk about what’s going to happen with Howard’s deal. Is he fired? I don’t know how much I’m allowed to say, except that he’s not here and I am.”
“Howard was supposed to start the show today, and this was supposed to be something of a cleaner hand-off. There is nothing clean about it. Here we are. I’m kind of winging it,” Cohen continued. “I can’t overstate what Howard has meant to this company and what he did for SiriusXM. He walked so that we could run. I can’t possibly fill his void.”
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The Real Housewives executive producer went on to say that he was confident that Stern would land a position on another platform soon, before the popular radio host joined him on air and thanked him for going along with the prank.
Stern, 71, took over and confirmed that he would be continuing to work with SiriusXM after rumours began that he hadn’t been renewed.
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“I was just getting so f—ing annoyed with everyone writing me, asking me if I was OK because I’d been fired,” Stern began.
“I’m minding my own business, enjoying my summer vacation. [A reporter] says that I’ve been fired for being too woke. In light of the Stephen Colbert firing — because the word on Stephen was that it was all part of this merger, and they fired Stephen because he’s too woke — the story then became ‘Howard Stern is fired because he’s too woke,’” Stern said Monday. “What pisses me off is that now I can’t leave. I’ve been thinking about retiring. Now I can’t.”
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“Everything you’ve been reading in the paper about me or Robin [Quivers] is completely false,” Stern added.
After confirming his return to the show on Monday, Stern also hinted that “one of the positive things” about the situation was hearing other companies’ interest in The Howard Stern Show.
“I’m very happy at Sirius,” Stern said before praising SiriusXM CEO Jennifer Witz.
Witz had previously released her own statement about Stern, saying, “I think he’s been core to our platform for over 20 years, so I’m confident we’ll get to the right place.”
Speculation grew after Stern postponed his return from a summer break last week. His show told listeners that he would address the topic of his SiriusXM deal when he returned on Sept. 2, but he postponed the show’s return until Sept. 8.
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Stern did not share if he had signed a new contract with SiriusXM as his current deal expires at the end of 2025.
“Here’s the truth: SiriusXM and my team have been talking about how we go forward in the future. They’ve approached me, they’ve sat down with me like they normally do, and they’re fantastic,” Stern shared.
Stern joining what was then Sirius Satellite Radio Inc. in 2006 made him one of the highest-paid personalities in broadcasting and was a game changer for both the company and the nascent satellite radio industry.
Stern extended his contract with SiriusXM twice before, in 2010 and again in 2020, with a five-year, US$500-million deal, Forbes reported.
“He’s been with me and the company going on two decades, and so he’s pretty happy, but he’s also able, like many great artists, to stop whenever he wants,” SiriusXM president and chief content officer Scott Greenstein told The Hollywood Reporter in 2024. “Nobody will ever replace them. We would never try to replace them.”
Donald Trump is “an unserious man” and a “sore loser” who aspires to dictatorship, Vice President Kamala Harris warned the satellite radio host Howard Stern in a Tuesday afternoon appearance.
“Donald Trump has this desire to be a dictator,” Harris said. “He admires strongmen. And he gets played by them, because he thinks that they’re his friends.”
Harris made the comments on Stern’s Sirius XM show as part of a breakneck media blitz that has also included recent stops on the podcast Call Her Daddy, CBS News’ 60 Minutes and The View. The wide-ranging, sympathetic interview with Stern—in which the former shock jock unequivocally pledged his vote to Harris—covered topics from abortion and election denial to Harris’ preferred breakfast cereals (Raisin Bran and Special K) and typical morning workout routine (30 minutes on the elliptical machine).
The two also returned repeatedly to the subject of Trump’s character, which Stern knows firsthand as a former friend and fellow traveler of the 45th president. “How could anyone justify any of this? I don’t get it, it’s madness,” Stern said of Trump’s behavior. “And I’ve known Donald Trump for so many years—he was at my wedding and I always had a good time with him. But not as president of the United States.”
Stern has repeatedly pilloried Trump over his handling of issues including abortion and the Covid-19 pandemic, both of which cropped up in his conversation with Harris. Of abortion, Harris said, Trump “hand-selected three members of the United States Supreme Court to do exactly what they did: Take away the right of an individual to make decisions about their own body.”
The pair also discussed a damning new report on Trump’s relationship with Russian president Vladimir Putin. Trump, according to a new book by journalist Bob Woodward, secretly sent Covid-19 test machines to Putin during the pandemic and has had private conversations with the Russian dictator as recently as this spring. (The Trump campaign has said the book contains “made up stories.”)
Trump “admires dictators,” Harris said, and has promised “to be a dictator on day one.” Stern asked Harris if she would feel safe remaining in the US should Trump win; Harris dodged the question, saying instead that she is “doing everything I can” to win the election.
But that battle has grown “surreal,” the vice president acknowledged, as her opponent continues to veer into conspiracies and untruths. Harris described feeling a sense of unreality during her September 10 debate with Trump, when the former president spouted a baseless internet rumor about Haitian immigrants in Ohio eating cats and dogs. “This was a very serious moment to earn the votes of the American people,” she said. “And he was talking about things that were factually untrue and quite ridiculous.”
The unscripted, hour-long appearance with Stern represented something of a deviation for Harris, who has historically kept the press at arm’s length and has sat for only three TV interviews in the month of September. She plans to do twice as many in the first week and a half of October, according to the Washington Post, which on Monday reported that Harris’ sudden media blitz was designed to engage voting blocs that haven’t fully embraced the vice president.
To that end, Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, have hit a series of podcasts and other digital media ventures that don’t typically make the campaign circuit, including Call Her Daddy, All the Smoke, and SmartLess. Call Her Daddy is the single most popular podcast among women in the US; All the Smoke is a sports podcast aimed at Black men, and SmartLess is a comedy podcast hosted by Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, and Will Arnett.
Trump and his running mate, meanwhile, have appeared on podcasts hosted by influencers like YouTuber Logan Paul and stand-up comedian Theo Von. The former president also appears to be keeping abreast of his opponents’ press appearances.
“Lyin’ Kamala … is being exposed as a ‘dummy’ every time she does a show,” Trump wrote Tuesday afternoon on Truth Social.
Even supporters of the Democratic candidate for president Kamala Harrishave complained that the current vice president remains a mystery to broad swaths of the country. Though media outlets (including this one) have noted that coverage of Harris and her campaign attracts a greater readership than coverage of her opponent, Republican nominee and former presidentDonald Trump, those outlets have struggled to convince Harris to sit down for an interview. It’s a decision that’s concerned even the journalists who seem receptive to her message, and prompted observers such as media writer Jon Allsopto note that as of late September, Harris and running mate Tim Walz “had taken part in seven interviews or press conferences, compared with Donald Trump and J.D. Vance’s combined seventy-two.” Of those, Harris personally has participated in just three.
But all that changes this week, as Harris is launching into a set of sit-downs and interviews at the national level, presumably in an effort to—as Democratic strategist James Carvillerecently put it——win the news cycle. Here’s where to find an interview with Kamala Harris this week:
TBD: Call Her Daddy
Harris sat for an interview with influential podcast host Alex Cooper on Tuesday, for an episode slated to be released on an at-yet-undisclosed day this week. Quoting the Harris campaign, the Washington Postreports that the interview focused on “reproductive rights and ‘other critical issues important to women.’” Listeners can find the episode on Spotify when it’s released.
Monday: 60 Minutes
For decades, the venerable CBS newsmagazine has hosted an interview with both presidential candidates in the weeks leading up to the election, with Trump famously walking out on that conversation in 2020. Via statement, the show says, “This year, both the Harris and Trump campaigns agreed to sit down with 60 Minutes. Vice President Harris will speak with correspondent Bill Whitaker. After initially accepting 60 Minutes’ request for an interview with Scott Pelley, former President Trump’s campaign has decided not to participate. Pelley will address this Monday evening. Our election special will broadcast the Harris interview on Monday as planned.” According to the show, expect questions about “the economy, immigration, and the ongoing wars in Ukraine and Israel.” 60 Minutes will air on CBS on Monday, October 7 at 8 p.m. ET, and will be available for streaming via CBSNews.com, on the CBS News app, or Paramount+.
Kamala Harris appears on ABC’s “The View” on Friday, July 12, 2019.
Jenny Anderson/Getty Images
Tuesday: The View
Harris will travel to New York on October 8 for an in-person interview with the ABC roundtable talk show. Planned topics of discussion with hosts Sunny Hostin, Joy Behar, Ana Navarro, Whoopi Goldberg, Sara Haines and Alyssa Farah Griffin have not been released. ABC broadcasts The View on weekdays at 11 a.m. ET, 10 a.m. CT and PT., with episodes streaming at a later date on ABC.com and Hulu.
Tuesday: The Howard Stern Show
The iconic interviewer’s once-controversial style is far less shocking in these days of wildly popular batshit podcasters, but with an audience of listeners who followed him to incessant spam call network SiriusXM, he arguably still enjoys some pull. Stern’s show airs live on Sirius’s channel 100 from 7-11 a.m. ET, with clips and segments typically shared to its YouTube channel in the hours following the broadcast.
Tuesday: The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
Harris will cap off her busy Tuesday with an appearance on the late night talk show hosted by frequent Trump antagonistStephen Colbert. (Other guests for the episode have yet to be announced.) The October 8 episode will air from 11:35 p.m. to 12:37 ET on CBS and will be available to stream on Paramount+.
Jerry Seinfeld has apologized to Howard Stern for comments he made about the radio personality in a recent podcast interview, including that Stern lacked “comedy chops.”
“I really feel bad for what I said about my friend Howard Stern in a conversation with David Spade and Dana Carvey, talking about the glut of comedy podcasts,” he told TMZ, referring to his appearance on Carvey and Spade’s “Fly on the Wall” podcast.
While discussing the popularity of podcast culture with Carvey and Spade, Seinfeld asked the two fellow comedians, “Howard Stern invented this, right?”
“But we’re better than him now,” Seinfeld continued. “Howard is interesting. Howard is a great interviewer, but comedy chops, I mean, can we speak candidly?”
Spade said “Sure,” while Carvey said, “No!” as they both laughed. “Well, he got Robin, and Robin is a big part of how he’s funny,” Carvey said of Stern’s co-host Robin Quivers.
“Yeah, they’re all great but let’s face it, he’s been outflanked by some very, and yourselves, I mean absolutely, this show, comedy podcast? This is the best one on the air,” Seinfeld added. “Because you guys play nice together, it’s smooth, you’re not jumping on each other, which is annoying to listen to.”
Seinfeld told TMZ he “meant to say he must feel surrounded, but I said ‘outflanked,’ which sounded terrible and insulting.”
“And of course, none of these little shows are any threat to his giant show,” Seinfeld continued. “Anyway, it was bad and I’m sorry, Howie. I still love you. Please forgive me.”
Following his remark about Stern in his “Fly on the Wall” interview, Seinfeld expressed shock over the boom in comedy podcasts.
“Who knew there was a market?” he asked rhetorically. “Who knew people wanted to get to know us? Who gets the credit for figuring it out?”
Seinfeld later criticized comedians who get deeply personal on their podcasts instead of bringing humor to the show.
“Jesus Christ, make us laugh, how interesting do you think you are?” he said. “You’re not that interesting, okay? You’re not. When you’re funny, you’re worth it. This is my line, which you know me, you know me, no but you know that I draw that line. If you’re not that funny, we’re not that interested in you.”
Days after releasing her sixth studio album, seven-time GRAMMY Award winner Kacey Musgraves will make her “The Howard Stern Show” debut. Catch her full interview with Howard Stern and live performance on Monday, March 18, on the Howard 100 (channel 100) on radios and the SiriusXM app.
“The Howard Stern Show” airs live Monday-Wednesday (7am-11am ET), with replays of Mondays and Tuesdays shows on Thursdays and Fridays. Episodes and videos are available on the SiriusXM app.
Kacey Musgraves drops “Deeper Well”
The acclaimed country singer’s new album, “Deeper Well,” dropped on March 15 via Interscope/MCA Nashville. The 14-song LP includes the title track that she teased during the GRAMMYs last month and released four days later. Additionally, Musgraves recently announced her “Deeper Well Tour,” featuring 44 shows across North America and Europe kicking off in Dublin on April 28 and concluding in Nashville on December 7. The tour will include support from Madi Diaz, Father John Misty, Nickel Creek, and Lord Huron. Check out Musgraves’ album tracklist and tour schedule below.
“Deeper Well” Tracklist
“Cardinal”
“Deeper Well”
“Too Good To Be True”
“Moving Out”
“Giver / Taker”
“Sway”
“Dinner With Friends”
“Heart Of The Woods”
“Jade Green”
“The Architect”
“Lonely Millionaire”
“Heaven Is”
“Anime Eyes”
“Nothing To Be Scared Of”
“Deeper Well Tour”
04/28 — Dublin, IE @ 3Olympia Theatre +
05/01 — Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso +
05/03 — Brussels, BE@ Ancienne Belgique +
05/05 — Cologne, DE @ Carlswerk Victoria +
05/06 — Hamburg, DE @ DOCKS +
05/09 — Glasgow, UK @ 02 Academy Glasgow +
05/11 — Manchester, UK @ 02 Apollo Manchester +
05/13 — Wolverhampton, UK @ The Civic at The Halls +
05/14 — London, UK @ Roundhouse +
09/04 — State College, PA @ Bryce Jordan Center *
09/06 — Boston, MA @ TD Garden *
09/07 — Boston, MA @ TD Garden *
09/09 — Newark, NJ @ Prudential Center *
09/11 — Grand Rapids, MI @ Van Andel Arena *
09/12 — Rosemont, IL @ Allstate Arena *
09/15 — Greenwood Village, CO @ Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre *
09/19 — Vancouver, BC @ Rogers Arena *
09/20 — Seattle, WA @ Climate Pledge Arena *
09/23 — Sacramento, CA @ Golden 1 Center *
09/24 — San Francisco, CA @ Chase Center *
09/27 — Glendale, AZ @ Desert Diamond Arena *
09/28 — Las Vegas, NV @ T-Mobile Arena *
10/01 — San Diego, CA @ Pechanga Arena San Diego *
10/03 — Inglewood, CA @ Kia Forum *
10/04 — Inglewood, CA @ Kia Forum *
11/06 — Laval, QC @ Place Bell #
11/07 — Toronto, ON @ Scotiabank Arena #
11/09 — Baltimore, MD @ CFG Bank Arena #
11/10 — Pittsburgh, PA @ PPG Paints Arena #
11/12 — Louisville, KY @ KFC Yum! Center #
11/13 — Columbus, OH @ Schottenstein Center #
11/15 — Brooklyn, NY @ Barclays Center #
11/16 — Brooklyn, NY @ Barclays Center #
11/21 — Houston, TX @ Toyota Center #
11/22 — Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Center #
11/23 — Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Center #
11/26 — Austin, TX @ Moody Center #
11/27 — Austin, TX @ Moody Center #
11/29 — Tampa, FL @ Amalie Arena #
11/30 — Hollywood, FL @ Hard Rock Live at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood #
Billy Joel returned to The Howard Stern Show on February 14, 2024, to talk to Howard Stern about “Turn the Lights Back On,” his songwriting process, “We Are the World,” and more, live from the SiriusXM Miami Studios.
Listen to the acclaimed singer-songwriter’s full interview with Howard on the SiriusXM app now.
During his appearance on The Howard Stern Show, while seated at a piano, Billy Joel discussed his recently released single “Turn the Lights Back On” (which Howard described as “so beautiful”). Billy talked about the real meaning behind the lyrics and how songwriter Freddy Wexler influenced him to finally create new music after such a long time.
Looking back, Billy and Howard also delved into Billy’s 1989 song “And So It Goes” — and the relationship that inspired it — as well as the new Netflix documentary around the celebrity charity recording of “We Are the World” in 1985.
“Nobody knew what the song was gonna be,” Billy said, sharing behind-the-scenes memories of the star-studded day. “I’m standing next to Cyndi Lauper and … she’s leaning over to me and going, ‘This song sounds like a Pepsi commercial.’”
(L to R) Howard Stern, Beth Stern, Alexis Roderick, and Billy Joel on February 14, 2024 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Jason Koerner/Getty Images)
He added, “Bob Dylan was shy to sing on his own, so Stevie Wonder comes out and is telling Bob how to sing like Bob Dylan … Funny stuff was happening.”
Billy continued, “Sometimes Bruce [Springsteen] and I are in the chorus and sometimes we’re not, because there was a big pile of deli sandwiches on the other side of the room, and we kept going over to get a beer and a sandwich.”
Paul Giamatti, who recently shouted out his Private Parts co-star Howard Stern after winning the Golden Globe for Best Actor for his role in The Holdovers, returned to The Howard Stern Show today, February 7. Listen to the acclaimed actor’s interview with Howard on the SiriusXM app (or sign up for a three-month free trial now if you’re not a subscriber).
During his appearance, Paul reflected on his performances in Howard’s biographical comedy Private Parts (1997), in the Jim Carrey-starring Man on the Moon (1999), in the sports biopic Cinderella Man (2005) featuring Russell Crowe, and much more.
“He was great in the movie Private Parts … and because I was new to film acting I didn’t even realize how good the guy was. When I would watch [our] scenes back, I went ‘Oh my God, look what he’s doing there. He’s so in the character and he’s so good,’” Howard said, adding, “He made my job easy.”
“He was perfect in it,” fellow Private Parts star Robin Quivers agreed.
“He was just a wonderful moment in my life,” Howard concluded. “So, if I ever do another movie, boy I would want him in it.”
Additionally, check out more of Howard Stern’s recent interviews, including with Stephen A. Smith, Green Day, and more here.
Actor and filmmaker Bradley Cooper returned to The Howard Stern Show to promote his new biopic, Maestro. Check out his full interview on the SiriusXM app now.During his appearance, Cooper also talked about his failed attempt at getting Howard Stern to play Sam Elliott’s role in A Star Is Born (2018), talked about the Eagles (who currently have the best record in the NFL), and dished on how he records Rocket Raccoon for the popular Marvel franchise Guardians of the Galaxy.
Cooper directed and stars in Maestro, which chronicles the relationship between American composer Leonard Bernstein (Cooper) and his wife, Felicia Montealegre (Carey Mulligan). The movie was released in theaters on November 22 and will be available on Netflix on December 20.
Stamos explained to Stern that after he married the former Victoria’s Secret model in 1998, her movie career quickly took off. Romijn joined the “X-Men” franchise in 2000 and started to work with iconic directors like Brian De Palma. Stamo — known primarily for work in television — was fresh off his eight-season stretch on “Full House” and hadn’t done much work since.
“I felt that I became emasculated,” Stamos told Stern, referring to Romijn’s skyrocketing acting career. “I think she outgrew me.”
The actor told the radio personality that, at first, he was happy to take a backseat to his ex’s burgeoning career.
Rebecca Romijn and John Stamos in 2000, the same year she starred in “X-Men.”
Sam Levi via Getty Images
“I loved her, and I thought she was super talented. So I was happy to do that,” he told Stern, according to additional quotes from the interview provided by People. “But I forgot about my own stuff. She was taking off, and I just wasn’t paying attention to mine. And it wasn’t her fault.”
Stamos said at this point in his life, he was being a bit lazy and was only putting about “50, 60 percent” of his effort into his marriage and career.
“‘Well, my 50% is better than you know 99% of the people out there,” Stamos told Stern of his mentality at the time. “I don’t have to give it all.’”
But Stamos admitted to Stern that he regrets not trying a bit harder.
“I didn’t work on anything. I didn’t work as hard as I should at anything,” he said, noting that his “career and my life would have been a lot better” if he hadn’t given in to being on cruise control at the time.
Stamos’ remarks to Stern come a week after Stamos admitted to People in an interview promoting his new memoir that he once viewed Romijn as “the Devil.”
“I just hated her,” Stamos told People at the time. “I couldn’t believe how much I hated her, and it ruined my life.”
Stamos and Romijn dated for four years before tying the knot. Stamos filed for divorce in August 2004, and it was finalized the following year. Their split made headlines, and Stamos said the visibility and public opinion surrounding their divorce greatly affected him — although he does not go into great detail about how he felt after their divorce in his memoir.
“It was very public, and that was very painful,” Stamos told People. “I didn’t write much about that, but it’s hard. It was very much the opinion that she dumped me because her career was going great and mine wasn’t, and that’s humiliating. I don’t blame her for it.”
Stamos added to People that after their split, he began drinking heavily and eventually hit rock bottom. During his recovery, however, he started to reevaluate his role in the dissolution of their marriage and admitted to the magazine that he had “some part” in their breakup.
“You start thinking … ‘Oh, she wasn’t the Devil. Maybe I was as much to blame as her,’” Stamos said.
John Stamos returned to The Howard Stern Show today (October 24) to catch up with Howard Stern and Robin Quivers and open up about his new book, If You Would Have Told Me: A Memoir.
During his appearance, Stamos, 60, reflected on his first love — actress and model Teri Copley — and how she cheated on him with fellow actor Tony Danza. Stamos also delved into his battle with alcoholism, his DUI, and his 2015 stint in rehab in Utah. Since then, Stamos hasn’t had a drink.
Stamos also got candid about his divorce with Rebecca Romijn, revealing that sharing “anything less than the truth is paralysis.” After they split up in the early 2000s, Stamos “blamed” Romijn. However, while writing his memoir, he realized that it was just as much his fault. He wanted to acknowledge that in his book.
“I felt that I became emasculated,” Stamos said due to Romijn rising acting career. “I think she outgrew me.”
“I was so angry at her for so long,” he added, “and I’m just so happy to not be angry, I’m happy for her.”
Additionally, the beloved actor looked back on his success — and struggles — playing Uncle Jessie on the ’80s-’90s sitcom Full House. He also talked to Howard and Robin about a “highlight” of his career (his starring role in the Broadway musical Cabaret in 2022), his friendship with Taylor Hawkins from Foo Fighters, and much more.
In If You Would Have Told Me, which he released today, Stamos opens up about his many highs and lows throughout his life.
Backed by a vocal septet ― and with himself on guitar ― the rapper delivered a spine-tingling version of “Them Bones,” an Alice In Chains track from its 1992 grunge classic, “Dirt.”
Malone’s genre-hopping recent album, “Austin,” features him playing guitar on every track. His tour in support of the album resumes next month in Australia.
Arnold Schwarzenegger wants young people to be comfortable with failure and struggle — characteristics he claims are necessary to develop mental resiliency.
In a Wednesday interview for SiriusXM’s The Howard Stern Show, the 76-year-old action star worried that modern society is raising “a generation of wimps and weak people” overly concerned with hurting feelings.
“It’s nice to be considerate, I totally agree with that,” Schwarzenegger defended. “But let’s not over-baby the kids, and let’s not over-baby the people.”
Schwarzenegger said adults should be teaching children to be “tough” and “go through those painful moments.”
He argued those who baby themselves will never be able to reach their full potential.
Schwarzenegger compared the human mind to a bicep — just like the muscle, the mind needs resistance and pain in order to grow, he said.
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The former California governor maintained you can only become a strong person if you fail, get up again and continue to work hard.
“The more you struggle, the further you’re going to go, and the stronger you’re going to get,” he said. “You have to be able to struggle, and if you’re not able to, work on that.”
The Terminator actor continued: “The more you experience the things that you really don’t like, the more you can grow, and the tougher you get, and the more you can handle. It’s just that simple.”
Schwarzenegger told Stern the U.S. was not built by people “who slept in.”
“These were ballsy women and men that went out at 5 in the morning, and got up, and struggled, and fought and they worked their butts off. That’s what made this country great.”
The self-help style book teaches readers Schwarzenegger’s “seven tools” for finding purpose in one’s life — clear vision, big thinking, hard work, direct communication, resilient problem-solving, open-minded curiosity, and a commitment to giving back.
‘I don’t want you to be a loser’: Arnold Schwarzenegger delivers strong message to antisemites
ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 10: John Stamos poses at the IMDb Official Portrait Studio during … [+] D23 2022 at Anaheim Convention Center on September 10, 2022 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Corey Nickols/Getty Images for IMDb)
Getty Images for IMDb
John Stamos is still fully embracing what made him a household name nearly 35 years ago: being a family entertainer. You can now see Stamos in season two of Big Shot on Disney+.
This season on Big Shot, “Marvyn Korn” (John), a disgraced college basketball coach, is out to prove his high school women’s basketball team belongs on ESPN and recruits an unlikely player to do so.
The role was a major challenge for Stamos, who’s not a sports guy.
“It was one of the scariest things I’ve ever done, and I’m not kidding,” the 59-year-old actor told me via Zoom video. “I’ve put myself out there a lot. Being a doctor on ER was easier than being a coach, because I’m telling you, the lingo is just as foreign to me. At least the medical stuff is Latin, so you can kind of piece it together. I know nothing about it.
Fortunately, I have a good friend, Roger Lodge (current California sports radio host, former host of Blind Date), and he helped me out a lot. I really did have to dig deep into it because if I wasn’t believable as this coach, then there’s no show. And I didn’t know what was going to happen.
“I prepped as much as I could. I talked to people. I read books, John Wooden (legendary UCLA basketball coach) stuff and Bobby Knight (Legendary Indiana coach). And by the way, that guy’s funny, Bobby Knight. But I didn’t know.
“The first day of shooting the show, I was finishing Fuller House. And it was in the backyard, and the girls were getting married, and it was a whole wedding, and it was speeches, and very emotional and sweet. And then I drove across town, and I had to scream at these college kids and throw a chair and have all this anger. And I don’t know where— I think a little bit of it was my father.
John Stamos arrives at the American Music Awards on Tuesday, Oct. 9, 2018, at the Microsoft Theater … [+] in Los Angeles. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)
Invision
“He was sort of a gruff guy— loving guy, but gruff. And just the writing, I trusted the writing, and it just kind of fell into place. But I constantly have to sort of work hard on the terminology and just the— I’m not a jock. I just didn’t come from that world. My dad said, ‘You go out of your way to hate sports.’ Someone always had to lose.
“I tried to golf. My dad was a golfer, and I wanted to spend time with him, so I took lessons. I said, ‘Dad, let’s go.’ And I went to the thing and I sliced the ball. And it flew right past a woman who’s maybe 85 years old, missed her temple by that much. My dad said, ‘Put the club— get in the car.’ But I could have killed somebody. So I said that’s it for sports for me.”
Taking on the role gave Stamos a new perspective on sports.
“I really do have a newfound respect for sports, especially women’s sports,” the Cypress, California native said. “We talk a lot about the inequality, which is an important thing to get out there. I talk about getting the high schools, the championship game on ESPN, because they only broadcast the boys.
“It’s,’Why?’ Girls actually— they play the sport better. They’re better at it. It’s better to watch. It’s more interesting to watch these women. And I’m glad that we get that across as well.”
John Stamos presents the award for favorite villain at the Kids’ Choice Awards at the Galen Center … [+] on Saturday, March 11, 2017, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)
2017 Invision
Stamos’ performance in the series garnered accolades from an unlikely radio legend, John’s friend Howard Stern.
“The last interview (with Howard) I did, I was waiting for my turn to have that in-depth, deep hour-and-a-half interview, and we did it last time for Big Shot,” John said. “He called me. He watched.
“I was getting ready to do the show, and they sent him the links for the last season. And I’m getting a call, and it’s Howard calling me. And first of all, it’s pretty rare you get a call from him. He’s a busy guy. And I thought, ‘Oh, Ralph (Cirella, Howard’s friend, on-air personality) is dead, probably. Why is Howard calling?’
“And it turns out that he watched all the episodes. And Beth (Stern’s wife) played high school basketball. And I mean, he talked about the show like it— it was really one of the greatest calls I’ve ever gotten. And then he called me when Bob (Saget) passed away, and we talked for an hour. And it was like— again, it just shows his character. And people may think that he’s just a shock jock. He’s a good man and a good friend.”
Another Disney project the actor tackled this year is voicing Iron Man/Tony Stark for the Spidey and His Amazing Friends (Disney, Disney Jr.) animated series. John approached the role with respect for the iconic character and incorporated some old and new takes on the Marvel legend, only to learn he may have been taking the gig a little too seriously.
“I did overthink it, and I’m not a Marvel guy either. My wife is [into Marvel],” Stamos said. “And so I did a deep dive. The talent that they put in these movies early on, Robert Downey Jr. and Gwyneth (Paltrow), what a smart— what a brilliant franchise. I get why it’s so popular.
“It was a little daunting because it’s such an important character, and I wanted to be respectful, But I kind of came in with a little bit of Downey, a little rhythm in my voice and stuff, and they’re like, ‘No, no, no. Don’t do that, don’t do that.’ First of all, it’s for three or four-year-olds, and because I was starting to call [characters] nicknames… But it finally has settled into, ‘That’s my version of Tony Stark and Iron Man.’
ANAHEIM, CA – AUGUST 01: In this handout photo provided by Disney Resorts, John Stamos and his son … [+] pose with Iron Man at Disney California Adventure Park on August 01, 2022 in Anaheim, California. The second season of “Spidey and his Amazing Friends” premieres on Disney Channel and Disney Junior on August 19, 2022. (Photo by Sean Teegarden/Disneyland Resort via Getty Images)
Getty Images
“And it started to work. Really, I’m just trying to get my kid to think I’m cool. I’m just doing everything I can. I was on Mickey’s Funhouse, [where] I play a pirate.
“I really enjoy doing it. It’s just a way to get out there to entertain people. This world is … we need comfort food. We need good quality programming. We need, hopefully, good role models out there preaching love and happiness and appreciation and gratitude.”
The parents watching John’s Disney projects today have a special bound with the performer after growing up watching him play “Uncle Jesse” on Full House in the late 80s to mid-90s and now, they get to share his work with their children.
“I am happy to have [the bond]. This world is in a— I don’t need to tell you, it’s a little topsy-turvy right now, and we need shows like this,” Stamos said. “We need comfort food right now. And I think I could be part of that. That’s what I think about it.
“I really haven’t thought about it [much], but … I think people could look to me now and feel safe. And again, it’s like comfort food. I’ve been coming into people’s homes for 40 years, so that’s a great in. … So they go in that way, and then they trust me to take them on a pretty fun, interesting journey.”
After a long, lucrative career in Hollywood that remains steady and with a four-year-old son at home, John’s learned to appreciate “microtransactions” or the little special moments in life that are gone too soon, especially for parents.
I said in the very first episode (of Big Shot) last year, ‘Can you look in the mirror at the end of the day and say, ‘I did my very best today?’ ‘Was I loving? Was I the best father I could be?’” Stamos recalled. “Last night, [my son] was coming home from Disneyland and he was asleep.
“And I’m taking him, was going to set him down in his room quietly. And I had so much to do. I had to get ready for this, and I had other stuff. And I’m sneaking out and he goes, ‘Dad.’ I’m like, ‘Oh.’ ‘Could you read me a story?’ And in my mind, I was like, ‘I got so— yes.’”
