Howard Stern is one of the most polarizing interviewers of all-time.
Known for his no-filter discussions, Stern was sometimes seen as a "shock jock."
What many don't know, however, is that he struggled with his own personal issues throughout.
Here is the tragic real-life story of Howard Stern.
Howard Stern was born in the Jackson Heights section of Queens, New York and grew up in
Roosevelt, Long Island, He remembers his neighborhood in rough shape.
In an interview with Rolling Stone, Stern revealed,
"When I was young, I was very misunderstood and I was put into a lot of dangerous situations."
What's more, he felt his parents never addressed the poor living conditions.
As Stern recalled in the interview,
"[My family lived in] such a bad neighborhood, and it was so disturbing to be one of the
few white families left in the community."
As he saw more and more of his friends move out of the neighborhood, he never complained
about it to his parents, but also never allowed himself to feel anything about it.
Thinking back, Stern still questions why he felt unable to discuss his feelings with his
mother and father.
The radio host realized that later, after moving to a white neighborhood, the problems
persisted.
Stern confessed in the Rolling Stone interview,
"It turns out it wasn't race, it was me!
I was the awkward one."
He realized people of all colors hated him, and felt more alienated than ever.
While Stern felt alone, his realization is also what pushed him into radio.
Stern told Rolling Stone,
"I came to the revelation that if I was going to go anywhere ... I can't be playing records
[...] if what I have to say was important, no one can replicate that."
Terrestrial radio stations had a tough time figuring out what to do with Howard Stern
early in his career.
His controversial comments brought fans but also put pressure on show executives.
In 1982, Stern's run at DC-101 reached a breaking point.
As The Washington Post reported at the time, Stern was suspended for criticizing the station's
management.
The young deejay said the decision took him by surprise, saying,
"I've really tried to fulfill my contractual agreement to DC-101.
I've been treated very shabbily."
However, Stern quickly landed on his feet at WNBC AM in New York that same year.
But history repeated itself, and after three years on the air, Stern was once again fired.
With two years remaining on a five-year contract, the station's vice president cited, quote,
"conceptual differences" as the main reason for releasing Stern.
This put an end to Stern's career working as a deejay for other stations but set the
groundwork to start his own show.
"Oh my goodness, what's your reaction to all of this?"
"I'm fed up.
I mean, you know, I…
I don't even understand what happened.
You're gonna ask me what happened — I don't know."
The first words people think of about Howard Stern probably aren't "romantic family man."
And yet, the shock jock married his college sweetheart, Alison Berns, with the couple
sharing three daughters together.
However, while Stern's career took off and he became a household name, the couple ultimately
split, with Berns leaving him in 1999.
As Stern confessed to Rolling Stone,
"Divorce was so theoretical to me because no one in my family had really been divorced."
He cited his parent's long-time relationship as a model he couldn't live up to.
He also admitted the separation was difficult for his children.
And like so many others who have loved and lost, Stern dwelled on what went wrong in
the relationship, saying,
"I think there were a lot of stressors, especially with what I did for a living."
Not surprising, given his history of controversy and penchant for interviewing porn stars.
Still, the two stayed together until it could just no longer work.
With his rising popularity on the radio, Howard Stern wanted to take on another form of leadership.
In 1994, he announced his candidacy for New York state governor, deciding to run as a
libertarian in the New York Libertarian Party.
"What would you say to Governor Cuomo?"
"I'd say he's in big trouble if he has to run against me because I will win."
His platform consisted of just three main points, which included reinstating the death
penalty, forcing construction workers to work at night, and staggering highway tolls to
alleviate traffic jams.
But, he also started with an exit strategy in mind.
He claimed once his goals were accomplished, he would promptly vacate the seat.
Though many considered him a long shot to win the actual race, other candidates feared
Stern would steal votes and hurt their chances.
As Stern continued to receive more votes and appeared ready to reach the final ballot,
he abruptly ended his run.
At the time, the deejay needed to disclose his personal finances if he wanted to run.
After unsuccessfully asking a judge to waive the requirement for him, Stern dropped out.
Once back on the radio, Stern further explained his decision to his listeners:
"I spend 25 hours a week telling you all the most intimate details of my life.
One fact I've never revealed is how much I make and how much money I have [...] It's
none of your business."
Behind all the bravado and scandalous discussions on The Howard Stern Show, the host mostly
hid mood disorders that affected his daily routine.
Years after becoming a star, Howard Stern admitted in his book, Miss America, that he
once suffered from an obsessive-compulsive disorder, which forced him to enter rooms
with his right foot forward.
Stern's respite from his compulsiveness came while working.
On the air, he claimed it was easier to keep distracted and forget about his problems.
But ultimately, Stern felt his compulsive behavior was tough to ignore.
Even worse, Stern would have serious physical reactions, admitting to becoming, quote, literally
paralyzed," because of his obsessive compulsive disorder.
Working on the air for decades, Howard Stern matured in front of his listeners.
That being said, he also burned bridges along the way.
Looking back on his earlier days, Stern spoke with David Letterman on his Netflix series,
My Next Guest Needs No Introduction, admitting that he was a young man, quote, "full of rage."
Looking back, it became clear that he erred in many relationships.
Stern went on to add that he apologized to many of the people he wronged throughout his
career.
The radio icon also confessed that he did a lot of growing up over the past few years.
He attributes his personal progression and change of heart to decades of psychotherapy.
With these tools under his belt, Stern said he finally started to appreciate life and
the people around him.
On air radio seems like the perfect place to avoid body-shaming culture.
Behind the mic, one can depend solely on personality and a sonically friendly voice.
But Howard Stern confessed he struggled with self-image as he became more popular.
As the New York Daily News recapped, Stern talked about enhancing himself through two
plastic-surgery procedures.
His first change happened shortly after filming his biographical film Private Parts.
Stern went under the knife for rhinoplasty.
According to the report,
"Stern confessed that his biggest fear was not how he'd look after a nose job, but how
he'd sound."
Instead, as an added bonus, the deejay admitted that the surgery actually improved his voice.
For his second procedure, Stern decided to go for liposuction to remove some unwanted
fat underneath his chin.
Though perhaps with some buyer's remorse, Stern revealed he felt few people — except
his sister — noticed the changes.
During his tenure on the radio, Howard Stern maintained a relatively clean bill of health.
That is until he received news that would alter his life.
Doctor's noticed his white-blood-cell count dropping and recommended chemotherapy.
Luckily for the radio personality, another doctor suspected an elevated mercury issue.
Sure enough, Stern's levels were through the roof from eating too much fish.
He changed his eating habits and returned to a normal mercury level.
Suddenly, things got even scarier.
As Stern revealed to Rolling Stone,
"I went and got this body scan, and then they tell me they think 95 percent chance I've
got cancer in my kidney."
On the day of his surgery in 2017, Stern canceled his daily show.
When he returned, he played it off as if had the flu.
Luckily, the procedure went well for the radio host.
"When you have a health scare like that, and I'm saying to myself my parents are 96 and
91, I'm supposed to live forever."
"Yeah."
"Not the rest of you.
Me!"
Looking back at the scenario, Stern told NPR that he initially freaked out upon hearing
the news that he may have cancer.
But after the fact, he credits the experience as a positive one, explaining,
"[It gets] you into a frame of mind where you're like, wow, how much time do I have
left?
And what is it I'm really trying to accomplish with that time?"
The same personal drive that turned Howard Stern into a nationally known name is also
one of his biggest issues.
In an interview with Rolling Stone, Stern said he takes his long-running radio show
too seriously, which is a problem for him.
Stern went on to add that it's not fulfilling enough to think he had a successful show,
confessing,
"No, I gotta know, do you think I did a good show and are you satisfied?
And that's the neurosis and that's the source of all problems for me."
In another story, Stern talked to NPR about a study that claimed one out of four cars
in the largest market in the United States, New York, were listening to his show.
However, Stern looked at the report pessimistically and dwelled on the other three cars not listening,
explaining,
"So when you want everything and nothing satisfies you and you only want to be — in a narcissistic
kind of way — the center of the universe and the focus, I was clearly a starved person
who only would believe that the focus needed to be on me."
Even though he built a career on interviews that others would only dream of, Howard Stern
still regrets several moves.
As an older and more mature deejay, Stern reflected on those times that now make him
cringe.
He admitted the younger Stern was completely self-obsessed and wanted to be the star of
every interview.
He needed to be the funniest person in the room.
Stern remembered an occurrence when George Michael came into his studio:
"I said to him first thing, 'Are you gay?'
OK.
Yes, that's outrageous, and it's not fair to the guy."
The deejay also created a remarkably uncomfortable interview with Gilda Radner.
Stern revealed the SNL star cut the interview short, and while escaping, hit her head on
a speaker because she was so unnerved by Stern's insane questions.
But Stern's biggest regret of all is how he treated the late, great Robin Williams.
Despite the deejay's complete love for the actor, Stern had to act indifferent, because
he was, quote, "angry at the world."
Instead of a genuine discussion, Stern put on his outlandish persona.
Stern said he threw away the opportunity to celebrate an amazing talent and the beauty
of Williams' career.
In 2012, Howard Stern planned to show off his sweet side — if that existed.
He joined the summer variety show, America's Got Talent, as a judge.
The move shocked many in Stern's orbit, including his longtime agent, Don Buchwald.
Stern lasted four seasons to the delight of fans — and his grand plan worked.
As the radio personality later admitted about his unlikely tenure on AGT,
"I went from America's nightmare to Santa Claus.
Literally, people were putting their kids on my lap."
After his TV stint, Stern sat with longtime friend Jimmy Kimmel and spilled his secrets
about the show.
The former judge said he hated every minute of the show and that the family-friendly format
wasn't in line with him.
Stern admitted,
"Here I am, Fartman, and to see me juxtaposed [within] a family show like that, was interesting
to me."
Stern also joked that his body type is much better suited for a radio studio than on camera,
saying,
"I'm six-foot-five, and the cameraman was shooting up my huge nostrils [...] I had no
good side."
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