Howard Stern may be nearing the end of his reign as the face of SiriusXM.
Can reveal a new partnership with fresh-faced podcaster Alex Cooper is being interpreted as a sign the 70-year-old shock jock and his controversial The Howard Stern Show are on their way out.
Radio host and writer Clay Travis revealed: “Cooper has signed a huge, monster deal with SixiusXM.”
The 30-year-old podcaster is set to partner with the entertainment giant after accepting a $125million contract.
She confirmed the news in a recent Instagram post, writing: “THANK YOU @siriusxm DADDY GANG GET READY. WE ARE AVAILABLE EVERYWHERE AND DOING IT EVEN BIGGER IN 2025.”
Per the deal, her massively successful Call Her Daddy podcast will remain on its current platforms, including Spotify, with whom she was previously signed.
Cooper burst onto the radio scene with her talk show in 2018, and has recently landed major guests like Miley Cyrus, Simone Biles, Gwyneth Paltrow and Ciara.
At $42million per year, the Sirius XM deal will put Cooper’s earnings higher than any network television host. The only media personalities who earn more are Stern and Joe Rogan, according to Outkick.
Stern, who landed one of the biggest mega-money deals in radio history to become the face of SiriusXM in 2006, reportedly makes around $80million a year.
However, the tide appears to be turning on Stern as a five-year contract he signed in 2020 is set to run out next year. It’s unclear whether SiriusXM will resign him or if he’ll retire, but Cooper’s deal suggests the platform is looking to shift its focus to a younger audience.
Call Her Daddy consistently ranks among the top-three most popular podcasts on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube, drawing in listeners from the lucrative demographic between ages 18 and 36.
Stern, on the other hand, has begun to fade from the limelight as his aging listenership drops off. According to Outkick, SiriusXM stopped releasing his ratings altogether in 2020 because his audience had “diminished.”
A reporter for the outlet wrote: “Howard is a shell of his former self. He has become meandering, repetitive, and stooge-ish,” adding: “For the first time in 20 years, Howard Stern is expendable.”
Under his contract, SiriusXM will maintain licensing of Stern’s audio and video archive until 2027.
Call Her Daddy is poised to take SiriusXM’s already formidable podcast lineup to the next level, joining hits like The Megyn Kelly Show, Smartless and Gold Minds with Kevin Hart.