July 1990 marked the beginning of Howard Stern’s era. It was during this time that he was hired as the host of his own program, The Howard Stern Show, on WWOR-TV. The Saturday night variety television show was aired to 65 markets in the U.S. and even frequently beat Saturday Night Live in the ratings.
His global fame earned him the title “King of All Media.” However, after two years and 69 episodes, the show ended due to mounting fines for indecent material. Stern did not let this pass and rallied against the FCC by releasing a compilation of his vulgar radio segments.
Paying for His Actions
Howard took it too far and was unmindful of his outrageous behavior. Not only was he greatly affected, but he was also issued a warrant of arrest for his unruly attitude. Between 1990 and 2004, the stations that aired The Howard Stern Show were fined by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to an astounding total of $2.5 million.
With these incidents, Stern became the most fined radio host in America. An infamous honor indeed; courtesy, of course, of his indecent behavior. Stern didn’t feel that the problem was his, though. He blamed the administration of President George W. Bush for increasing the FCC’s scope to fine in 2004. Nevertheless, the penalties were necessary.
Confessing
In the 1970s, Stern’s curiosity regarding illegal substances led him to engage with Quaaludes and LSD. In an interview with the popular rock band, Aerosmith, he willingly discussed his use of illegal drugs. "I hadn't done any drugs in a really long time and then I started smoking some weed," he revealed.
"Well I'll tell ya, what happened with me is, uh, you know, I figured, well it's been like 20 years since I smoked weed and weed was not very powerful back then,” he added. What made him stop using these illegal substances was a nightmare trip he had while high on LSD.
Howard Stern, The Author
More than being an outspoken and rude radio host, Howard Stern is also an accomplished author. His two books, Private Parts, and Miss America were both listed in the New York Times bestseller list.
His first book, Private Parts, was an instant success as evidenced by its first batch of copies being sold just hours after it was released. Stern described his writing experience as “the most challenging thing I have ever done in my career.” It just goes to show that Stern is a celebrated artist both in radio and book, despite his big mouth. Well, to be fair, his blunt personality actually helps a lot more than it hinders.
Stern is Miss America
Stern inked a $3 million deal with ReganBooks in 1995 to write his second book, Miss America. The New York Times bestseller covered a range of topics, from Stern’s cybersex experiences to his private meeting with Michael Jackson.
When asked the reason for the title of his book, Stern said, “When I was a kid growing up in high school, I would come down the steps. My parents were disgusted by me. I had started this growth spurt. I looked like a big, hairy pencil. I’m walking down the steps and my father would look at me and I’d be in my underpants. And he looked down at “his son who was sprouting with facial hair and he’d go, ‘Oh, look. There’s Miss America.”