The Untold Truth Of Howard Stern

#1 Original Shock Jock

Howard Stern was born on January 12, 1954, in New York, New York. He brought his signature "shock jock" radio style to New York listeners in 1982 and by 1986 his show went into national syndication.

#2 FCC Fines Accumulated

However, it didn't take long after the syndication deal to bring on the FCC as listeners were appalled at the controversial topics on the daily show. The show was the highest-rated morning program consecutively between 1994 and 2001 while at WXRK. After being fined over $2.5 million for indecent materials, Stern was dropped by the station and he fled to Sirius XM with a very lucrative contract.

#3 A Tasteless Comedy Album

If you've listened to his broadcast a few times you know that Stern likes to sing on occasion, though he can barely carry a tune. But that didn't stop him and his crew from releasing a dirty, Weird Al-like parody album in 1982. The album featured songs "I Shot Ron Reagan", and a filthy take on Leave It to Beaver called "Unclean Beaver."

#4 Feud With Jay Leno Begins

When NBC tapped Jay Leno to host The Tonight Show after Johnny Carson's retirement, he was the talk of the comedy circuit and well liked by other celebrities and comedians. However, those loyal to David Letterman, who was supposed to get the show, decided to take sides in the feud. Stern was good friends with Letterman but still did appearances on Leno's show. He usually tried to embarrass Leno on the air and called him as "ass kisser" during one show that left Leno walking off the set. He recently referred to Leno as a "spineless maggot" on his radio broadcast.

#5 Dana Delaney Interview

1980s TV sitcom star Dana Plato of Diff'rent Strokes struggled with addiction after the show ended and was in and out of rehab several times. In 1999 she appeared on The Howard Stern Show to discuss her troubled life, drug use, poverty, and run-ins with the law. However, Stern began scrutinizing the actress about her addiction, never letting up about her drug use, though she maintained that she had been clean and sober for at least 10 years.

#6 She Committed Suicide

Callers to the show demanded that she take a drug test to prove her claims, and she agreed while on the air with Stern. His producer, Gary Dell'Abate snipped a few hair samples from her with the intention of sending them to a lab for testing. However, when the show ended, Plato begged Stern for her hair samples back and he refused. The following morning, Mother's Day, she committed suicide while visiting her mother in Oklahoma.

#7 Feud With Michael Cera

Howard produced an animated series about his life and signed Michael Cera to voice his character as a teenaged boy. Spike TV ordered 13 episodes before even seeing the pilot, and gave Stern a huge advance to begin production of the series. The show, titled Howard Stern: The High School Years, was going to be a side project for Cera, who was busy doing other things like Arrested Development. However, after Stern saw the animation, that he produced, he scrapped the entire project, claiming that Cera was to blame for the failing project. Spike claims he spent the money he was advanced on other projects.

#8 Joked About Selena's Murder

Howard Stern and his crew of misfits are known for being shocking and insensitive, but the morning after the Tejano superstar Selena was gunned down by one of her own fans the Howard Stern Show stooped to a new low. They played a portion of one of the singer's hits and added gunshots to the background. After the song played out, Stern said, "Spanish people have the worst taste in music. They have no depth Alvin and the Chipmunks have more soul."

#9 Warrant For His Arrest In Texas

Selena fans, still grieving her murder, were furious with the comments and song. The comments incensed Eloy Cano, a Justice of the Peace in Harlingen, TX, where Selena was from, so much that he issued a warrant for Stern's arrest citing disorderly conduct. The warrant was legal and remained in effect for over a year, meaning that technically Stern could be arrested and jailed if he had gone to the state of Texas.

#10 Stuttering John Melendez

John Melendez started working at the radio station in 1988 and Stern would often make fun of him for his stuttering. He eventually hired Melendez on as a correspondent for the show, billing him as Stuttering John, and sending him to various events and red carpet ceremonies to interview celebrities.

#11 Feud With John & Leno Grows

However, in 2004, John pulled one of the worst stunts ever. He quit the Stern show after contract negotiations and then went on to become the new announcer and sidekick on Jay Leno's Tonight Show, knowing of the long-standing feud with Stern.

#12 Melendez Claims Show Was Unfair

Four years later, Melendez went on The Adam Carolla Show and talked about how Stern never paid him fairly. He also said that Stern didn't like his employees taking on outside gigs to make ends meet. The day of the comments Stern did a 30-minute rant on his show about Melendez calling his one-time employee an ungrateful and talentless hack. He also slammed once again, Jay Leno for hiring Melendez.

#13 Voice Actor Billy West Feud

Celebrity impressionist Billy West began working on The Howard Stern Show in 1989 where the group had a blast spoofing people like Clint Eastwood, Johnny Carson, and even Lucille Ball. West was able to mimic just about anyone, making for some hilarious prank phone call bits.

#14 Stern Had Him Fired

West later started working on Nickelodeon's new hit animated series The Ren & Stimpy Show for friend John Kricfalusi doing almost all of the voicing for the cartoon. Kricfalusi soon had a falling out with Nickelodeon and was fired.He was angry with pal West for not leaving when he left, but West liked his position at the show. In 1995, Stern surprised West by having Kricfalusi on the show to discuss their disagreement. It got uncomfortable, and some Stern fans point to this as the beginning of the end between West and the show. He left over contract negotiations just a few months later, with West claiming that Stern was behind his departure.

#15 Feud With Arte Lange Begins

When Stern's sidekick Jackie Martling left the show in 2001, he hired comedian Arte Lange to replace him. Lange and Stern made perfect cohorts and Lange stayed with the show until 2009. Unfortunately, Lange had a long-documented problem with addiction, and finally, Stern asked him to take time off to get some help with his problems.

#16 Told Lange Not To Return By A Messenger

Sadly, less than a week after being laid off from the show, Lange attempted suicide. While he was in rehab, Stern sent him a notice by messenger that he thought it was best if he not return to the program upon his release. Lange since got the help he needed but had attempted to contact Stern 'hundreds of times' over the years and Stern has never spoken to him or returned any of his messages.

#17 He Looks Like A Pelican

Although Lange insists that he just wants closure on what happened surrounding his firing from the show, he has gone on several talk shows claiming that he can pinpoint the exact moment that Stern, whom he believes is unstable himself, decided that Lange would be fired. Lange recalls, "when he said, 'do you think I look like a pelican?' And I said 'yes,' there was no going back, it was a matter of time."

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