Howard Stern’s Earnings and Salary – What Are They?
Howard Stern, an American radio and TV figure, boasts a net worth of $650 million. The pioneer of “shock jocks,” Stern refined his radio hosting style on rock stations and talk shows in the late 70s and early 80s. Initially renowned for his brutally honest on-air persona, Stern garnered awards but struggled with steady audiences and substantial paychecks. After moving between various stations, he joined WNBC in Washington, D.C. Sparking national attention with controversial segments, he became the highest-rated WNBC host until being dismissed.
From the mid-80s to the early 2000s, Stern’s radio show dominated morning slots nationwide. He expanded his show into late-night talk shows, bestselling books, pay-per-view programs, and hit albums. Stern even ran for Governor of New York. “The Howard Stern Show” aired nationally on terrestrial radio from 1986 to 2005, after which Stern inked a $500 million deal with Sirius Satellite Radio. Since 2006, Stern has earned over $1 billion at Sirius alone, on top of his regular radio earnings.
On December 9, 2020, Stern penned a 5-year extension with Sirius worth $120 million annually, totaling $600 million. While Stern is reported to “make” $120 million per year, these earnings cover all production costs, including salaries for personalities like Robin Quivers and Gary Dell-Abate. Estimates suggest Robin earns $10 million and Gary $4 million annually, totaling $14 million. Even with additional costs of $10-15 million, Stern clears roughly $80 million after accounting for agent fees and taxes, equating to $40 million annually.
Based on his schedule of three shows per week for about 40 weeks yearly, totaling 120 shows, Stern makes roughly $333,333 per show post-expenses. Essentially, earning himself a brand-new Ferrari per broadcast.
Early Life
Howard Allan Stern was born on January 12, 1954, in the Jackson Heights area of Queens in New York City. His mother, Ray, was an office clerk in New York City, while his father served in the Army during World War II and later worked as a radio engineer at WHOM in Manhattan. He was also co-owner of Aura Recording, Inc., a recording studio in Manhattan where commercials and cartoons were made. Howard has an older sister named Ellen, and his family moved to Long Island, New York, when he was one year old.
Since the age of five, Stern had a passion for the radio industry. His father set up a makeshift recording studio in the basement of their home in Roosevelt, New York, allowing Stern to record make-believe radio shows. He attended Roosevelt Junior-Senior High School and later moved to Rockville Center, New York, at the age of 15, where he enrolled at South Side High School for the 1969-70 school year and eventually graduated in 1972. He then joined Boston University that fall.
During his college years, Stern worked at the college radio station WTBU starting from his sophomore year. In 1974, he was accepted into Boston University's School of Public Communications, and in May 1976, Stern graduated magna cum laude from the institution.
Early Career
From 1976 to 1982, Stern held morning show positions at WRNW in Briarcliff Manor, New York, WCCC in Hartford, Connecticut, WWWW in Detroit, Michigan, and WWDC in Washington, D.C., allowing him to refine his on-air personality.
Success
Between 1982 and 1985, Stern worked the afternoon shift at WNBC in New York City before starting his 20-year tenure at WXRK in the same city in 1985. By 1986, his morning show was syndicated in 60 markets, reaching 20 million listeners.
He holds the distinction of being the first individual to host the number one show concurrently in both New York City and Los Angeles.
Private Parts
In 1993, Stern secured a $1 million agreement with Simon & Schuster to pen his memoir "Private Parts." The book, released in October 1993, was an instant success, selling out its first print run of 225,000 copies within hours of release. Within five days, "Private Parts" became Simon & Schuster's fastest-selling book in history, debuting at #1 on the "New York Times" Best-Seller list and remaining there for 20 weeks.
Subsequently, "Private Parts" was adapted into a feature film in 1997, with Stern and several of his radio show staff, including Robin Quivers, Fed Norris, Gary Dell'Abate, and Jackie Martling, portraying themselves in the movie. The film opened on March 7, 1997, in the U.S., grossing $14.6 million and securing the number one spot at the U.S. box office in its opening weekend. In total, the film amassed a domestic gross of $41.2 million during its theatrical run.
Other Work
Additionally, Stern authored "Miss America" in 1995 and "HowardIn 2019, Stern Comes Again was released.
Stern announced in 2011 that he would be taking over as a judge on "America's Got Talent" for the seventh season, following Piers Morgan. He remained a judge for the eighth, ninth, and 10th seasons, departing from the show at the end of the 10th season in September 2015.
(Photo by Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images)
Howard Stern Salary and Contracts
Before joining Sirius, the platform had 600,000 subscribers and was facing a loss of $226 million annually on a revenue of $13 million. Currently, SiriusXM boasts 35 million paying subscribers, generating $1.8 billion in profits from $7.2 billion in revenue. Howard enjoys unrestricted free speech on Sirius, free from FCC regulations. Analysts estimate that 10-15% of Sirius subscribers signed up solely to listen to Stern.
Upon signing a five-year contract in 2004, Stern became one of the highest-paid radio personalities, earning $500 million. This deal equated to $100 million annually, comprising $80 million in cash and $20 million in stock, covering production expenses and staff salaries. Reportedly, Stern retained $50 million for himself. Prior to Sirius, he was making $30 million per year at Viacom for terrestrial radio broadcasts.
In 2010, he renewed his contract with another five-year, $500 million deal. In December 2015, he inked a fresh 12-year agreement with Sirius, rumored to be worth $80 million annually. This amount covers his salary, staff salaries, and show production costs. By the deal's end, Stern will have earned over $1 billion personally (excluding expenses) from Sirius. He also earned hundreds of millions from terrestrial radio before 2005.
On December 9, 2020, Howard confirmed his latest $600 million, five-year extension with Sirius, including $120 million for all production expenses.
(Photo by Getty Images)
Personal Life
Stern and Alison Berns met through a mutual friend while studying at Boston University. They tied the knot on June 4, 1978, in Brookline, Massachusetts, at the age of 24. The couple shares three daughters: Emily Beth (1983), Debra Jennifer (1986), and Ashley Jade (1993). They amicably separated in October 1999.
In 2001,
Stern dated model Angie Everhart and actress Robin Givens in the handful of months between his separation from Alison and meeting Beth Ostrosky. Dating model and television host Ostrosky in 2000, Stern got engaged on February 14, 2007, and married on October 3, 2008, at Le Cirque restaurant in New York City.
Becoming the most fined radio host in history, Stern saw the FCC issuing fines totaling $2.5 million to station owners for content it deemed indecent.
Suffering from obsessive-compulsive disorder, Stern revealed his battle with OCD in his 1995 book "Miss America" and manages it using Transcendental Mediation, a practice his parents have been using since the early 1970s.
Becoming a pescetarian in 2012, Stern and Ostrosky are supporters of the North Shore Animal League of America, having fostered nearly 900 cats. They own four cats: Bella, Yoda, Walter, and Pebble.
In June 2022, Stern expressed interest in running for President of the United States in 2024 if Donald Trump becomes the Republican nominee again.
Real Estate
Purchasing a 4,000-square-foot apartment on the 54th floor of the Millennium Tower on the Upper West Side of Manhattan for $4.9 million in 1998, Stern later bought the adjoining 1,011-square-foot unit for $5.75 million. In 2008, he acquired two apartments on the 53rd floor located just below his penthouse, paying $15.1 million, adding another 2,546 square feet of space.
Buying an empty lot in Southhampton, New York, for $20 million in 2005, Stern had a custom mansion built on the property.
In 2013, Howard purchased a 12-bedroom mansion on 3.25 oceanfront acres in Palm Beach, Florida, for $52 million. The mansion spans a combined total of 40,000 square feet, with the primary mansion being just under 19,000 square feet. The house features columns, landscaped grounds, a protective wall to prevent ocean water from reaching the lawn, and a pool in the middle of the compound.
In April 2023, the property next to Howard's Palm Beach estate was sold for $170 million, setting a record for the area. The seller, Bob Stiller, made a fortune from Keurig coffee pods. Stiller's estate, half the size of Howard's in terms of living space and property acreage, suggests that Howard's mansion could be worth at least $300 million.