Howard Stern appears to have cut ties with Bill Maher, the outspoken host of HBO's Real Time. This falling out was sparked by Maher's comments on his Club Random podcast, where he critiqued Stern for frequently expressing love for his wife, Beth, on air.
Maher's controversial remarks came during an episode where he interviewed Julian Lennon. "[Howard Stern] goes on about how much he loves his wife, Beth, which he has been doing on the air for, like, 10 years,” Maher stated via The New York Post, adding, “But we know Howard had this other wife before Beth,” referring to Stern's first wife, Alison Berns, who he divorced in 2001.
Maher, 67, pushed further: “So he’s trying to make me seem like I’m the slightly immoral one because I haven’t settled down.” Preceding his comments, Maher told Lennon, “I don’t want to start a fight with him. We’ve finally repaired our relationship…and we’re getting along great.”
Bill Maher reveals why he and Howard Stern don't talk anymore:This clearly struck a nerve with 69-year-old Stern, who took to his SiriusXM platform to slam his now-former friend as "sexist."
"What a sexist thing to say!” Stern retorted on Tuesday's episode. He continued: “It’s assuming that he knows something about my first marriage. That, of course, the man must be leaving the woman and the woman must be devastated and be sitting around pining away for her famous man.” Stern concluded with a biting, “He ought to shut his mouth!”
Stern also addressed the frequency with which he talks about his wife. "I mean, I don’t think I come on the air every day and say, ‘I love my wife.’ But I thought it was a pretty positive message, to — especially with my audience, to say to guys instead of like ragging on our wives, how about talking about that we appreciate them and love them. But evidently, he’s very worried about my relationship," Stern added.
Maher and Stern had appeared to be on good terms in recent years, even rekindling their friendship after a previous falling-out. Stern made a rare appearance on Real Time in October 2019, where he told Maher, “The one big difference between us is I am in a committed, loving relationship with a woman.” Maher's lighthearted response at the time was: “So what? Enjoy it."
But it seems the goodwill has eroded. Maher, who has been linked to Canadian singer-songwriter Anjulie Persuad, former Playboy model Coco Johnsen, and podcast host Cara Santa Maria, continued to push his perspective.
“I never understood how you can be with the same person just day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year, I just don’t get that," he told Stern during their previous TV interaction.
As both men continue their high-profile careers in the spotlight, it remains to be seen whether this is a permanent end to their friendship, or just another chapter in their complicated history.
For now, it seems the relationship status of one has become the breaking point for both. With Maher and Stern being notoriously opinionated, this latest falling out adds yet another layer to their multifaceted, and now fractured, friendship.
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