Howard Stern is a broadcaster and media personality best known for his radio show, "The Howard Stern Show," which gained popularity when it was nationally syndicated on terrestrial radio from 1986 to 2005. After his firing from WNBC in 1985, he began a 20-year run at WXRK in New York City, where his morning show entered syndication in 1986 and aired in 60 markets and attracted 20 million listeners at its peak.

In recent years, Sterns show has undergone changes, and some fans have expressed concerns about its future. In March 2020, when New York City officially went into lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Stern fled to his basement in the Hamptons. Over a year later and now vaccinated, he still has no intention of ever returning to his Midtown studio, his luxury Upper West Side apartment, or any semblance of pre-pandemic life. Some fans have criticized the shows pessimism, anger, and a worldview that shrinks ever inward, limited in size and scope to The Basement.

Stern renewed his contract with SiriusXM last December, signing for five years at a reported $120 million per. However, some fans have expressed concerns about the shows future due to Stern becoming a recluse and remaining out of the studio. Despite these concerns, Sterns show continues to air on SiriusXM.