Howard Stern Finally Breaks Down His Years-Long ‘Beef’ With Oprah

Howard Stern is finally opening up and getting real about his true feelings towards Oprah Winfrey after years of publicly criticizing her. But things may not be what we originally thought. Let’s get into it.

As we’ve told you before, Stern has never hesitated to air out his issues with the popular former daytime TV talk show host. The most notable time happened in 2004, when Stern called for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to investigate Winfrey’s show.

At the time, his own radio show had come under scrutiny, so he felt hers needed to be looked at as well for the types of content she was covering like teenage sex and more. The most recent exchange, however, took place in 2022 when Stern called out “The Color Purple” star and accused her of liking to “show off her wealth” and not being self-aware.

Now, in a recent interview on SiriusXM’s “Andy Cohen Live,” Stern clarified his issues with Winfrey, telling host Andy Cohen that despite his critiques, he doesn’t view her as an enemy.

“No, I love Oprah. I follow Oprah. I enjoy watching Oprah,” Stern explained.

When asked if he’d ever actually met the TV mogul, Stern said no but that the idea was once suggested by her best friend Gayle King.

“I think she’s [Winfrey]  afraid. I know Gayle King very well. And I think at one point she suggested, ‘Oh, we should get together with Oprah.’ I said, ‘You better check with Oprah. You better. Don’t surprise her with me,’” Stern said.

Later on, he echoed his previous comments of Winfrey, essentially doubling down on how “unaware” he believes she is when it comes to flaunting her rich lifestyle.

“Maybe she is aware, but I suspect, I’m an Oprah follower, but sometimes she’s unaware of the sort of way she shows her wealth,” he said. “I couldn’t do that. I’m not saying that she’s wrong. We all know she’s wealthy. But I think in the world right now, there is such a disparity between those who have and those who have not. And it’s only getting worse…so I find it funny.”

He continued: “And I’m not gonna sit there and tell you I don’t think it’s funny. I go, ‘Wow, Oprah is unapologetically wealthy,’ and good for her. But I don’t hate Oprah at all. I think she’s brilliant.”

Stern later expressed that while he’d be open to interviewing Winfrey on his show so they could talk, he later pushed back on the idea saying that she didn’t “need him” nor the conversation and that she should “stay away” from him.

Much like in 2022 though, Winfrey has yet to respond to Stern’s words.