Howard Stern is giving up one of his two SiriusXM channels to Andy Cohen, a move that coincides with Stern's new deal to bring his radio show to HBO Max for the first time.
Stern and Cohen confirmed the handoff on air during Tuesday's installment of Cohen's "Radio Andy," Page Six reported. Cohen's show will move from Channel 102 to Channel 101, the slot long occupied by "Howard 101." Comedian Sebastian Maniscalco's "Comedy Radio" will slide into Cohen's old Channel 102 home.
Stern, 72, keeps Channel 100, the flagship home of "The Howard Stern Show." He told listeners he is "not giving up" that channel. But the loss of 101 marks a visible contraction of his SiriusXM footprint, coming just weeks after he laid off a slew of staffers in July and months after signing a new three-year contract in December 2025 that he said gave him more "flexibility" and "me time."
The 72-year-old broadcaster did not treat the handoff as a funeral. He framed it as a coronation, albeit one with strings attached.
Stern told Cohen on air:
"I feel Howard 101 is in very capable hands. Enjoy it, take good care of it. And if you blow it, I will be the first one to laugh at you. Don't screw it up."
He also made a more colorful request, asking Cohen to "up the gay on air" and continue what he called the channel's tradition.
"Andy has been gracious enough to take over 101 and I have one request: Please continue the tradition of doing a lot of gay antics."
Cohen, 58, the Bravo executive and host of "Watch What Happens Live," played along. He quipped that the "Howard Stern Show" was "gayer than" his own program. The exchange carried the loose, ribbing tone both hosts are known for, but underneath it sat a real business decision with real consequences for SiriusXM's channel lineup.
Cohen referenced a stunt from September 2025 that had briefly convinced listeners Stern was retiring altogether. At the time, Stern had been teasing a "big announcement," and the two hosts staged a prank in which Cohen pretended to take over Channel 100 itself, not just 101.
Cohen recalled the episode on Tuesday's broadcast:
"Last year, we pranked the world. We made everybody think that I was taking over Howard 100. It was the best morning."
This time, the news was real. Cohen acknowledged the déjà vu but said the channel move was no gag.
"Now, the carrot is being dangled. Radio Andy will be taking over 101. Is this a prank? Am I being pranked?"
Stern stepped in and insisted to listeners that they are "not being pranked." A press release two days before the broadcast had already confirmed that Howard 101 would leave the lineup and Radio Andy would shift from 102 to 101.
The channel shuffle did not happen in isolation. On Saturday, details emerged about a new deal that will put Stern's SiriusXM show on HBO Max, a first for the self-styled "King of All Media." A press release laid out the arrangement:
"For the first time, the 'King of All Media' will bring his signature, long-running SiriusXM show to HBO Max by adapting his live SiriusXM show into a streamable episode for HBO Max, along with periodic extras."
The release added that the new series "takes him to the pinnacle of prestige television and gives his fans a long-desired 'seat in the studio' to see what they just heard." HBO Max's new season is set to premiere September 14.
The streaming move gives Stern a second platform at a moment when his satellite radio presence is shrinking. He signed his latest SiriusXM contract in December 2025 for three more years, but the deal apparently came with trade-offs. He described wanting "me time," and the contract's added "flexibility" appears to have included shedding Channel 101 and trimming staff.
Stern's July staff reductions drew attention. The show parted ways with a slew of staffers, a housecleaning that preceded the channel consolidation by only weeks. The timing suggested a deliberate downsizing rather than a one-off adjustment.
Separately, a lawsuit filed against Stern by a former assistant earlier in 2026 has since been dismissed. The article did not specify the grounds for dismissal or the substance of the original claims.
None of these developments, the layoffs, the lawsuit, the lost channel, necessarily signal decline. Stern still holds Channel 100. He still commands a new multi-year SiriusXM deal. And he now has an HBO Max series on top of it. But the trajectory is worth watching. A broadcaster who once occupied two satellite channels, employed a large staff, and kept his content behind a single paywall is now spreading thinner across more platforms with fewer people.
For Cohen, the move to Channel 101 is a straightforward upgrade. Radio Andy gains a more prominent slot on the SiriusXM dial, and Cohen gets to attach his brand to a channel number that carried Stern's name for years. Whether Cohen can hold the audience that once tuned to 101 for Stern's overflow content is an open question.
Maniscalco, meanwhile, picks up Channel 102 for his Comedy Radio programming, a quieter part of the reshuffle but one that fills the hole Cohen's departure leaves behind.
Stern's empire is not collapsing. But it is changing shape, fewer channels, fewer staffers, and a new bet that streaming can do what satellite radio once did alone. Whether HBO Max subscribers want a "seat in the studio" as badly as the press release claims remains to be seen.
