Truth about Howard Stern's channel 101 being dropped by SiriusXM: Insiders reveal huge 'middle finger' move and whispers of revenge

Howard Stern is not done playing with the people desperate to declare his career over - and his new HBO Max deal may be his cheekiest stunt yet.

Last year, the 72-year-old shock jock sparked pandemonium when he staged a fake SiriusXM exit and appeared to tee up Andy Cohen as his replacement, as reports swirled that his future at the satellite radio giant was in doubt.

But the dramatic farewell was only a prank, with Stern later emerging to announce a new three-year deal and tell fans he had 'figured out a way to have it all.'

Still, the whispers did not stop, with reports of staff cuts and a scaled-back radio schedule giving detractors fresh ammunition to declare the King of All Media washed up.

So Stern has gone one better, taking The Howard Stern Show to HBO Max for weekly filmed episodes in what insiders say is less a career move than a very public 'take that.' 

'Howard is in a really good mood with his new HBO deal. He feels that it is a big middle finger to all his critics who either want him done or think that he is done,' an insider told the Daily Mail. 

The show will return to SiriusXM on September 14, with Stern expected to broadcast one new live edition each Monday - down from his previous two-show-a-week schedule.  

Three days later, on September 17, HBO Max will begin releasing a filmed adaptation of that week's radio show, with new episodes dropping on Thursdays alongside periodic extras.

The deal gives Stern a bigger stage, turning the short video clips SiriusXM listeners have seen for years into a full weekly show. 

And while it comes as he cuts back his live radio workload, those close to the broadcaster insist the move is about widening his reach - not quietly winding it down.

'When he worked with HBO Max a few years ago on his Bruce Springsteen special, he loved how it came out and thought he would get an Emmy for it,' the source explained

'That is why he wants to do his show like this, because it will allow him to get A-list guests on board, and potentially get an Emmy nomination and win.'

And Stern seems more than ready to let a wider audience in on the studio chaos usually reserved for SiriusXM listeners.

'As the "King of All Media," I am honored to bring my SiriusXM show to HBO Max, and through HBO Max to worldwide distribution,' he said in a statement announcing the move. 'For years, my SiriusXM show has offered only brief video peeks. HBO convinced me to pull back the curtain and let the world watch; the amazing celebrities and musicians who drop by, our staff antics, and my conversations with Robin.'

He added that bringing the show to HBO Max's millions of viewers every week was a 'career highlight,' saying he was thrilled to join the streamer's 'prestigious' line-up.

For Stern, the deal could give his long-running mix of celebrity interviews and studio chaos a slick new polish.

'He knows what TV is like for his show with what he did with E! But he is looking to make this just a little different, a little more polished,' the insider said. 'He's ready to be the King of All Media again.'

'King of All Media' is hardly a new title for Stern. He made his name as radio's biggest rule-breaker before branching out into books, pay-per-view specials, film and TV.

His E! series gave fans a late-night look at the madness behind the microphone from 1994 to 2005 - complete with A-list guests, wild stunts and plenty of staff drama. 

Then, in 2006, Stern swapped terrestrial radio for SiriusXM, taking his unfiltered act to satellite and becoming one of the company's biggest draws.

That history is central to why the HBO Max arrangement could be more than a simple repackaging exercise.

'If enough people watch the show, it will build into something different down the line,' a source explained. 'Howard loves David Letterman and he would love to do something like Dave is doing and adapt his show into more of an interview show, and really take his empire into a completely different phase than the normal morning radio gig.' 

After leaving late-night TV, Letterman made a different kind of comeback with Netflix's My Next Guest Needs No Introduction, swapping nightly desk jokes for longer, more relaxed chats with big-name guests. 

For now, Stern's television ambitions arrive against an unusually turbulent backdrop at SiriusXM.

As Stern's old five-year deal neared its end in 2025, rumors went into overdrive that he was retiring, being axed or simply could not reach a new agreement with SiriusXM.

When he returned from his summer break last September, he decided to have some fun with it. The show opened with Cohen appearing to announce Stern had abruptly left - and that he was taking over - sending fans into a panic.

Then Stern appeared, revealed it was all a prank and took aim at reports claiming SiriusXM had shown him the door.

The joke was a pointed one: Stern had turned the rumors about his own demise into the punchline. And nearly a year later, his HBO Max deal looks like another message to anyone already planning his farewell.

But the new deal has come with some big changes. Reports this summer claimed around a dozen staffers were let go as Stern prepared to cut back to one live show a week, although neither Stern nor SiriusXM has confirmed the total number of layoffs.

Then came another blow for longtime listeners: Howard 101, Stern's second channel and the longtime home for his archive shows, is being dropped from the SiriusXM lineup.

And Cohen's Radio Andy is moving into Channel 101, while Stern's flagship Howard 100 stays put on Channel 100.

Still, SiriusXM is not wiping the slate clean. When Stern returns on September 14, Howard 100 will roll out 'Wrap Up Wednesday,' an expanded version of Gary Dell'Abate and Jon Hein's Wrap Up Show, alongside new ways to dig into his back catalogue.

The SiriusXM app will also launch Howard Stern Decades, allowing fans to revisit classic clips and shows from the 1980s through the 2010s.

Whether the new visual format catches on remains to be seen, but Stern is clearly betting big on this next chapter. 

'He's looking to make the HBO deal a huge opportunity and to be able to go out on his terms,' the source told the Daily Mail.