Howard Stern is everywhere these days, getting shout-outs at seemingly every big TV event. The self-styled King of All Media sure is living up to his unofficial title in primetime. It’s almost like primetime is suffering Stern withdrawals since Stern took himself off TV, retiring his America’s Got Talent judging gig after last season. He’s pure radio now — all satellite, too, on SiriusXM. But Stern’s acolytes are keeping his name and his many memes afloat at night in the mainstream media.
First actress Sarah Silverman shouted out a big Baba Booey — a longtime Stern meme — from the podium at the Democratic National Convention. Then Silverman’s ex-boyfriend and late night stalwart Jimmy Kimmel closed his Emmy Award hosting gig by saying we “hit ’em with the Heim” — another Stern meme. But the Stern mentions got surreal when Donald Trump mentioned Stern on the most watched presidential debate in history. Stern addressed it on his radio show this week, saying the debate mention was “cool” and “good promotion.” But Stern didn’t seem very excited about Trump’s mention making it a media trifecta for Stern and Stern memes. Maybe it’s because the Kimmel and Silverman shout outs were all enthusiasm — and Trump’s was less gleeful. Stern said on his September 28 show: “He was saying he really wasn’t for [the war in Iraq]. So they were forced to mention my name.”
