Howard Stern Names “Idol” Price: $100M
Shock jock considers quitting radio gig to replace Simon Cowell on "American Idol"
By DANIEL MACHT
Updated 2:11 PM EDT, Wed, Feb 10, 2010
The King of all Media may soon be crowning “Idols.”
Sirius shock jock Howard Stern told his listeners Monday that he’s considering exiting radio to replace Simon Cowell as lead “American Idol” judge -- and he's even named his price.
“There’s not a better job on the planet than judging that f---ing karaoke contest,” Stern said, confirming that he’d been approached to join FOX’s hit show, TheWrap.com reports.
“It might be possible, we’ll see,” Stern added. “They’d have to pay me a ton of dough because I already make a ton of dough.”
What would it take to woo away a guy whose 5-year, $500 million radio contract is reportedly up at the end of the year?
Stern said he’d suit up with “Idol” for a cool $100 million.
“It would be the best thing that happened to me,” Stern told listeners. “What a cush job — $100 million for four months. Who wouldn’t take that?”
Not all media observers believe Stern is serious about jumping ship.
“By disclosing these negotiations, Stern may be trying to up the pressure on Sirius to offer him another lucrative deal,” writes Olga Kharif for Bloomberg BusinessWeek.
FOX execs have been searching for Simon Cowell's replacement since the "Idol" judge shockingly revealed last month that he’d be leaving the show after its current season ends to focus on bringing U.K. reality competition “X Factor” stateside.
Stern said he “can’t imagine” anyone better suited than himself to replace the famously tart-tongued Cowell.
“How else are they going to make that show work?” Stern said on his show. “Who knows how to broadcast and who knows how to be interesting? And who's not afraid to speak their mind?”
First Published: Feb 9, 2010 12:44 AM EDT
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