How the ‘Joke Man’ Blew It

July 20, 2011
Photo: The Howard Stern Show

Early in the show, a caller asked if Howard faced harsher criticism because he set the bar so high–Howard rejected the idea: “I see Lady Gaga’s fans. They’re ready to fight for her. My fans? They’re ready to kill me.”

The caller also asked Fred why he didn’t want Jackie back on the show, so Fred shrugged: “I was all for him coming back…[but] it always put us in a bad situation. Every time.”

Robin agreed with Fred, recalling how Jackie’s negotiation technique involved spontaneous absences from the show: “And then you come back whenever you feel like it. We don’t know when you’re leaving. We don’t know when you’re coming back…there was a certain attitude with him. And a certain point, it got really ugly.”

Howard agreed: “I have nothing against Jackie. I just think it was a bonehead move.”