Howard Stern Quitting Rumors Reportedly A 'Desperate Hoax' To Make Him 'Relevant Again'

Ahead of Howard Stern returning to his eponymous show after a break, reports have emerged revealing the real reason behind recent rumors that he plans to quit.

The rumors are said to be a "desperate hoax" to make the media personality relevant again due to his show's dwindling popularity.

Howard Stern is also expected to reinvent himself and deliver a rude awakening to his naysayers when he steps back behind the mic.

For weeks now, rumors have been swirling that veteran radio host Howard Stern was planning to quit his eponymous show once his SiriusXM contract expires this year.

Stern himself hasn't addressed the talk directly, but he did promise fans he would on September 2, something he teased in an Instagram post earlier this week.

That little tease has only made fans even more curious about what he is going to say. But according to industry sources who spoke with the Daily Mail, all the chatter about him leaving is part of a bigger plan cooked up by the showrunners.

One source even claimed the team behind the show has been worried about its slipping popularity and thought spinning a narrative that the media personality was getting axed or quitting was the perfect way to "make Stern relevant again."

"They're desperately trying to make this thing to go viral to try to boost his numbers for his return on September 2," said the insider, who also slammed the quitting speculations as a "desperate hoax."

The insider added, "His numbers are down so low that they're desperately trying to make him relevant and get people to tune in to see what he's going to say about getting 'fired' from Sirius."

Earlier reports claimed that the number of listeners tuning into Stern's show had plummeted from around 20 million a day to a measly 125,000.

According to the source, these "numbers are so pathetic" that the showrunners have been left scrambling to figure out what to do about it.

As for how things got this bad, the insider pointed the finger squarely at Stern himself, saying he had "sold out his own audience so bad" by mocking MAGA listeners and openly telling them he "didn't want them listening to his show anymore."

Now, the source claims Stern has realized the error of his ways and that this radical move is all about winning back the very people he once pushed away.

"From what I understand, this (the September 2 launch) is sort of going to be like a mea culpa to get the audience that he alienated back to listening to him," the source further speculated.

When September 2 finally arrives, less than two weeks away,  fans may be seeing a very different Stern than the one they have gotten used to.

According to the insider, the veteran media personality is planning a dramatic reinvention "into something he used to be" and has no intentions of retiring "anytime soon," despite all the swirling rumors.

At that highly anticipated show, it is also expected that Stern will announce a brand-new contract with SiriusXM, a move that, as the source put it, would give his naysayers a "rude awakening."

"Howard anticipates to have a new contract with Sirius and to announce that upon his return to the airwaves on September 2," another insider shared.

The same sentiments were echoed by someone within Stern's close circle, who insisted that what many currently see as his downfall is actually "the beginning of his next chapter" in his decades-long career.

Whatever happens on September 2, sources believe Stern won't be blindsided and is fully in control of the narrative surrounding his career.

"If he signs with Sirius again or anywhere else, it will be his last contract. If Sirius doesn't sign him, he will have a backup plan, he is not going to allow anyone be the reason for the end of his career besides himself and what he wants to do," an insider told the Daily Mail earlier in the month.

Should Stern decide not to renew his contract, the source claims he has "made roads elsewhere to potentially do something with HBO or Netflix."

The insider further shared that Stern strongly believes in his ability to win people over and succeed.

The radio show host allegedly sees himself as the very best at his craft and is ready to prove "people wrong again" by carving out a new path for himself if things with SiriusXM don't pan out.

"It is not all bad if this goes bad. His story isn't done," shared the insider. "Because he wants it to all end on his own terms. He believes he deserves that for all that he has done in the medium."