Howard Stern Says He's "Insulted" by Reports He Might Replace Jimmy Fallon on Late Night

Radio legend weighs in on the talk that he's being running courted to take over the late night talk show

By Josh Grossberg Mar 14, 2013 4:38 PMTags
Howard SternAP Photo/Evan Agostini

Howard Stern is sounding off on the rumor that NBC is considering offering him the Late Night slot currently occupied by Jimmy Fallon.

And he's not having any of it.

"First of all, what an insult," the shock jock said on his satellite radio show Monday( via Examiner.com). "Like, all the years of my career. I'm like, the biggest guy in radio. I've done film. I've done television…I mean, they act like I'm some kind of f--king beginner or something…Maybe if I'm really nice to NBC they'll let me take over Carson Daly's show at like 2 o'clock in the morning."

The New York Post claimed in a story last week that peacock execs are "grooming" the shock jock for the 12:30 a.m. time slot should Fallon take over The Tonight Show from Jay Leno, whose contract is up in 2014.

The report stated that NBC thinks Stern's more palatable for prime time now given his role as a judge on America's Got Talent, a feeling his wife Beth apparently seconded when the Post quoted her as saying, "He is one of the best interviewers out there."

As far as Howard's concerned, the idea is just ludicrous, but he did confess to enjoying the hubbub the story has sparked about his future.

"I was asking some of the [NBC] executives when I was down there doing AGT, and I was like you guys don't respect Jay at all, do you? They go, 'We're not firing him! That's what they said to me, so I don't know how any of this is true. I don't know," said Stern. "I want to say 'no comment.' I want to keep it going."

The Private Parts star also added that Fallon's salary is "about a tenth" of his own and quipped facetiously that the struggling network has also hired him to anchor the NBC Night News as well as guest star on Community, Parks and Recreation and Whitney and emcee a new version of the game show Tic Tac Dough.

(E! and NBC are both part of the NBCUniversal family).