Howard Stern is the quintessential shock jock, so it only makes sense that he has the potential to rub people the wrong way.
Granted, many of the celebs he’s trash-talked over the years have brushed off his remarks. However, there have been a few times where things got a little too personal — and on some occasions, Stern actually ended up apologizing.
That said, he hasn’t always been the one to apologize. Take, for example, Stern’s short-lived beef with Jon Bon Jovi. While many celebs have made it clear that they can’t stand Bon Jovi, the rocker actually got on great with the radio host for many years.
Their friendship took a turn in 1988 when Bon Jovi decided to promote his album, “New Jersey,” on numerous radio stations except K-Rock where Stern worked at the time. According to UCR, Stern called Bon Jovi while on the air and gave him a piece of his mind. “I teased him for kowtowing to the record execs.
I renamed him Jon Bon Phoney,” he said. Luckily, the issue was resolved relatively quickly, as a genuinely sorry Bon Jovi offered to babysit Stern’s kids and even wash his car as a peace offering.
The Bon Jovi incident was one of the only times when Stern was on the receiving end of an apology. To be honest, we’re not shocked. After all, there’s no denying Stern has taken things too far on a number of occasions.
Howard Stern hurt Adam Sandler’s feelings
Adam Sandler isn’t generally known for beefing with other stars, so it may come as a surprise that Sandler and Howard Stern actually had a years-long feud. After years of quiet tension, Sandler got a chance to address the issue in his very first appearance on “The Howard Stern Show” in 2015.
Admitting that as a kid he had grand ideas that Stern would one day champion him, Sandler shared that he was shocked when he and a friend were snubbed in a song contest held by the radio DJ.
However, what Sandler really struggled to get over was how critical Stern ended up being of his movies, and it didn’t help that his friends had a habit of telling him exactly what was said. “My friends would call me up all the time … and I didn’t need to know,” Sandler quipped. Things escalated to the point where, one day after Stern had said something mean, the two bumped into each other, and Sandler ignored the shock jock. The following day, Stern insulted the comedian again.
It’s worth noting that in that same interview, Stern apologized for being so hard on Sandler and admitted he felt bad for the years of tensions. As for Sandler, he was happy to bury the hatchet, too. What’s more, he joked that he wasn’t entirely innocent. After all, Sandler shared, “I would laugh when you would say it about other people, so it was my mistake too.”
Howard Stern body-shamed Lena Dunham and she called him out
Another star who wasn’t shy to call Howard Stern out for being mean was Lena Dunham. As some may remember, he made some not-so-kind comments about both “Girls” and Dunham in an episode of “The Howard Stern Show” in early 2013.
“I learned that this little fat chick writes the show and directs the show,” Stern said (via E! News). “And that makes sense to me because she’s such a camera hog that the other characters barely are on.” Yikes.
It’s worth noting that of the many things that Stern has apologized for, his rant about Dunham was one of them. In fact, just days after sharing his brutal take, he shared on “The Howard Stern Show” that he was actually a big fan.
Stern admitted that he’d been too harsh and expressed a desire to apologize to the actor, which he did. But it’s worth noting that Dunham didn’t shy away from calling him out. Speaking to him on his show, she pointed out (via Grindhouse143), “I enjoy the ‘little fat chick’ label … I’m not that fat, Howard.”
For what it’s worth, Stern shared that he tended to fat shame celebrities in general (weird flex, but okay), but reiterated that he admired how she emphasized her body in “Girls.” Clearly, Dunham appreciated that, as she’s since gushed on “The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon” that to her own surprise, she saw Stern as a women’s rights activist.
Howard Stern totally lost it at Wendy Williams
Possibly the most hostile tirade Howard Stern has been on in recent years was his rant over Wendy Williams. As some may remember, things kicked off when Williams mused in a 2019 episode of “The Wendy Williams Show” that Stern’s image had become increasingly sanitized in recent years.
“Howard, I love you, but since you’ve gone Hollywood, everything you say is so predictable … Every story is going to be about, ‘Oh, I love this one, and then we went on their yacht,'” she said (via People).
Cue an enraged Stern. In clips since taken down from his own website, the DJ didn’t hold back. “You’ve got those big, fake t*** and I’m Hollywood, huh? Shut the F*** up,” he said in one portion (via Perry R). Later on, he added, “Jealous b***h. You’ll never be me, Wendy. You’ll never be me.” Touchy, much?
Stern later apologized in an interview with “The Hollywood Reporter.” “That was me at my worst. I thought she was saying that I was a piece of s*** and I sucked … Now, I don’t see it as an offense at all.
If ‘Hollywood’ means that I’ve evolved in some way and the show has changed, then yeah, she hit the nail on the head.” As for Williams, she addressed Stern’s apology on her show and actually praised the shock jock.
“Howard, you know what? If you never apologized to me ever in your life, you would still be one of the most influential people shaping my career,” Williams said (via Entertainment Tonight).
Howard Stern felt bad about picking on Kathy Lee Gifford
No list of celebrities that Howard Stern has picked on would be complete without a mention of Kathie Lee Gifford. After all, for many years, he made no secret about his disdain for her. He even got incredibly personal at times — and Kathie’s family was targeted, too.
There was the time he mused about her son, Cody Gifford’s sex life, and claimed he came across like a robot. Possibly the worst moments, though, were Stern’s digs at Kathie’s marital woes.
In addition to composing a very graphic song about Frank Gifford’s affair while poking fun at a song Kathie had written, Stern also made fun of her when news of the infidelity surfaced.
“She looks like the biggest idiot,” he said on air (via Us Weekly). Stern also went on to mock a letter that Kathie sent him after Stern got divorced from his first wife.
After reading it for listeners, he quipped (via the New York Post), “She took the opportunity to preach to me about Jesus Christ and God, and it’s just like proselytizing. Come on, honey, get off the high horse and be human for once. It’s insincere.”
Stern ultimately apologized for his comments to Kathie, though. Kathie revealed in an interview with Fox News that after she spoke to him in person ahead of an appearance on “The Today Show,” he called her to apologize. “He’s a very odd duck,” she shared but added that they had been friendly ever since.
David Letterman admitted to being scared of Howard
Another star Howard Stern took things too far with? David Letterman. As Letterman revealed in an episode of “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” he went through a period where he was a little scared of having anything to do with Stern.
“I was always afraid of Howard because I didn’t want Howard to say unpleasant things about me … but he did,” he recounted. As Letterman revealed in an episode of “My Next Guest Needs No Introduction With David Letterman,” one of the meanest things Stern did was mock Letterman by pulling out the ratings of his show compared to his rival, Jay Leno. Ouch.
As with many of his other feuds, Stern was very apologetic. Specifically, he said on Letterman’s Netflix show, “I was angry. I was angry with you, that you were on television, that you had an audience.
There was no rhyme or reason to it.” That said, he added that he’d since undergone psychotherapy and had a completely different outlook on life as a result. “I started to appreciate what was good.
And one of those things was my relationship with you … I could appreciate what you had done for me. I had betrayed your trust, and I was ashamed,” he continued.
Well, we’re glad to hear it! Hopefully, Stern’s newfound peace means fewer stars will face Stern’s wrath going forward. Hollywood would certainly breathe a little easier.
