| Real Name: | Howard Allan Stern |
| Birthday: | January 12, 1954 |
| Net Worth: | $650 million |
| Height: | 196 cm |
| Occupation: | Radio personality, Talk show host, Politician, Shock jock, TV Personality, Author, Actor, Presenter, Disc jockey, Photographer |
Howard Stern is a legend in the media world. Some classify him as a controversial personality due to his frequent rampages against women. But there is no denying his earnings and popularity he brings to the station. In 2020, Forbes named him the World’s highest-paid media personality and the fifth-highest earning worldwide.
Stern proclaimed himself as the King of All Media. He still reigns supreme in the radio world. He is now in the third year of his eight-figure contract with SiriusXM. The contract pays him $90 million per year. The American radio and television personality gained popularity with his Howard Stern Show.
Since 2006, Stern broadcasts on Sirius XM Satellite Radio. As of September 2020, Howard Stern’s wealth is more than $650 million.
Career Ups and Downs
Born in 1954 in the Jackson Heights area of Queens in New York, Howard has an older sister and no brothers. His father served in the army during WWII and then worked as a radio engineer at WHOM in Manhattan. His mother worked as an office clerk in New York City.
His family moved to Long Island, New York when he was one year old. Stern showed interest in media at a young age. When he was just five years old, he wanted to work in the radio business. So, his dad set up a makeshift recording studio in the basement of the family home. There, Howard recorded make-believe radio shows.
Stern attended Roosevelt Junior-Senior High School. At the age of 15, his family moved again, this time to Rockville Center, New York. There, he enrolled at South Side High School and graduated in 1972. Stern enrolled at Boston University and worked at the college radio station during his sophomore year.
In 1974, he went to the Boston University’s School of Public Communications. In May 1976, he graduated magna cum laude from Boston University.
After graduation, Stern worked the morning show at WRNW in Briarcliff Manor from 1976 to 1982. He also worked in other radio stations to develop his on-air personality.
In 1985, he started his 20-year run at WXRK in New York City. And then the next year, his morning show went into syndication in 60 markets. This gave him exposure to more than 20 million listeners. Stern is the first person to have Number One show in New York and Los Angeles at the same time.
In 1993, Stern signed a $1 million deal to write his memoir. He released the book in October 1993 with the first print selling more than 225,000 copies within hours. Five days later, the book earned the fastest-selling book in the history of Simon & Schuster’s title.
In 1997, the movie adaptation of his book, Private Parts, hit theatres. Stern himself appeared in the movie.
In 1995 he signed another book deal, this time an advance deal with ReganBooks. In his second book, Miss America, Stern wrote about various topics, including a private meeting with Michael Jackson. And then in November 1995, he appeared on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno with two bikini-clad women kissing each other.
In April 1998, he signed a deal with CBS to compete with Saturday Night Live on NBC. His show The Howard Stern Radio Show aired on mostly CBS affiliates. It contained taped highlights from the radio show with additional material. But after only two episodes, local broadcasters started pulling off. They cited Stern’s risqué content. And after three seasons, the final show aired on only 30 stations.
In October 2004, Stern signed his biggest contract to date. He announced a five-year deal with Sirius Satellite Radio. The first contract worth $500 million included a $100 million budget per year for production, staff, and programming costs. In 2005, Stern formed two channels, Howard 100 and Howard 101.
In January 2006, the day of the first broadcast on Sirius, Stern received 34.3 million shares of Sirius stock. He got that thanks to an agreed subscriber number targets set in in the contract.
In 2011, Stern joined America’s Got Talent as a replacement for Piers Morgan. He joined as a judge for the seventh season and continued working for AGT until the end of the 10th season.
In December 2010, Stern renewed his contract with Sirius Satellite radio for five more years. He got a significant increase in the contract. And now in his latest contract with Sirius, Stern earns $90 million per year from the radio alone.
In 2012, he got inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame. The same year, he started living as a pescetarian.
Stern got married a few times in his life. He met his first wife, Alison Berns during his student years. They stayed married for more than 20 years.
Then, he dated model Angie Everhart and actress Robin Givens. His last marriage and relationship is with television host Beth Ostrosky. They got engaged in February 2007 an then married on October 3, 2008.
Net Worth
Howard Stern has an annual salary of $90 million on Sirius Satellite Radio. In December 2015, he signed a new 12-year deal with Sirius. In addition to salary, he gets stocks from the radio. By the time his deal ends, he will earn more than $1 billion in salary during his time at Sirius.
But the radio will gladly pay him the money. Before he joined the platform, they had 60,000 subscribers. As of September 2020, the platform has more than 25 million paying subscribers and generates more than $1.8 billion in profits. Stern enjoys total uncensored free speech on the radio.
And many people want to advertise on the Howard Stern Radio Show. Advertising on the show requires a minimum budget of $20,000.
Howard Stern owns a couple of real estate houses and apartments. He bought a 4,000-square foot apartment in the Millennium Tower in 1998 for $4.9 million. He also bought an adjoining 1,011-square foot unit for $5.75 million.
Then in 2018, he paid $15 million for two apartments on the 53rd floor, just below his penthouse. In 2005, he paid $20 million for an empty lot in Southampton, New York. There, he built a custom mansion. In 2013, he and his wife bought a 12-bedroom mansion in Palm Beach, Florida for $52 million.
As of September 2020, Howard Stern’s net worth is more than $650 million. He earns more than $90 million per year. He can certainly afford some luxury, right?
