![“You can’t support this kind of a move,” the shock jock told his listeners Monday. “I don’t care whether you like Jimmy [Kimmel] or not. It’s about freedom of speech."](/cdn-cgi/image/onerror=redirect,width=640,height=640,format=webp/https://storage.googleapis.com/uploads.mongoosehq.com/url/media/155314370/2d4e74a83545eca0de80b718e51f9954bc63f49580119289ec8c04b79271d217)
Overview
- Multiple outlets report that about a dozen employees tied to The Howard Stern Show were laid off and told the news over a Zoom call, with the meeting described as taking place on Monday.
- Reporters say Stern plans to cut new production to one episode a week after his summer break, a change that has not been publicly confirmed by Stern or SiriusXM.
- Coverage says a core team of veteran producers was kept while remaining airtime would be filled with archival broadcasts from Stern’s extensive tape library.
- Sources report affected staffers were sent home immediately and expect severance packages calculated by tenure, a change that will reduce day-to-day production roles.
- The move is framed by Stern’s December deal to gain more flexibility and by his long, lucrative history with SiriusXM, and it could prompt programming and staffing adjustments at the satellite network if the reports prove accurate.