Howard Stern is not impressed by your podcast.

In a candid and cutting appearance on the SmartLess podcast, the 70-year-old radio icon unleashed a scathing critique of the modern podcast boom—specifically the ease with which celebrities like Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, and Will Arnett have carved out massive audiences without enduring the trials of traditional radio.

“Everyone’s got a f***ing microphone in their house. Everybody is on the radio,” Stern declared, his voice tinged with equal parts envy, bewilderment, and old-school pride.

The moment marked a rare off-the-cuff jab from the “King of All Media,” who joined SmartLess during a special taping at The Stephen Talkhouse in Amagansett, New York. The occasion was celebratory—Bateman, Hayes, and Arnett had just launched SmartLess on SiriusXM. But Stern, ever the provocateur, used the opportunity to voice what many legacy broadcasters may be thinking: podcasting is too easy.

The Offending Comment That Lit the Fuse

Stern recalled a previous conversation with Bateman that clearly stuck with him. The Arrested Development star had visited Stern at home, where the topic of podcasting came up.

“Jason goes, ‘You know man, it’s crazy, we started this thing out of our basement, like a radio show,’” Stern recounted with a mocking lilt.
“I’m like, ‘Oh here we go, cool.’ And he goes, ‘Yeah, we started this thing, and it’s just the three of us sitting around and cracking each other up. I don’t know what’s going to happen with it, but they’re telling me it’s the biggest thing ever.’”

The irony was not lost on Stern. After decades of clawing his way through the brutal radio world—facing competitors like Don Imus, “The Zookeeper” John DeBella, and Mancow Muller—he was now watching actors stumble into massive audio success with little more than charm and a mic.

“I spent my life begging people to put me on the radio,” Stern grumbled. “You had to work on your voice, your content, get people to listen… he’s clowning around!”

A Changing Media Landscape—And a Generation Gap

The dig at Bateman (who jokingly denied saying the quote) wasn’t just playful banter—it was Stern making a pointed statement about how much the media business has changed since he started.

For Stern, radio was a gladiator arena. Ratings were tracked in 15-minute increments. Every segment, every joke, every ad read had to keep the audience glued to their speakers—or else.

“It wasn’t like this where you go, ‘Hey, we’ve got a lot of people listening.’ There could be three people listening to this—nobody knows, nobody cares,” he said, referring to the less structured metrics of the podcast world.

His commentary speaks to a broader industry rift: the tension between legacy broadcasters who built their brands under intense pressure—and the podcasting generation that built theirs with flexibility, friends, and social media buzz.

Podcasting: The Great Democratizer or the Great Equalizer?

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, podcasting has exploded. Home studios, Zoom interviews, and ad dollars have turned casual conversations into full-blown media brands. SmartLess, which started as three celebrity friends goofing off during lockdown, has grown into a podcasting powerhouse with hundreds of millions of downloads.

But for industry veterans like Stern, that transformation brings mixed emotions.

“What happened to the apprenticeship?” media analyst Rachel Clemens asked. “Howard Stern came up through the most grueling system imaginable. He fought for every rating point. Meanwhile, now you can skip the line with a big name and a Blue Yeti mic.”

To Stern, it’s not just about fame—it’s about effort. And that’s where he draws the line.

Respecting the Hustle

That said, Stern’s tone wasn’t entirely bitter. In fact, he called Bateman “a guy I have mad respect for.” His real issue isn’t with Bateman, Arnett, or Hayes personally—but with the system that elevates low-effort content simply because of celebrity status.

“You’ve got to respect the game,” Stern said. “And if you don’t know what it’s like to not be on the air, to get thrown off the air, to go toe-to-toe with other lunatics at 6 in the morning trying to steal your listeners, then it’s not the same thing.”

Old-School vs. New-Wave: Can They Coexist?

Despite the shade, Stern agreed to join SmartLess—a move that signals some level of admiration, or at least acknowledgment of its reach. The episode itself was lively and filled with classic Sternisms, humor, and behind-the-scenes stories.

The clash between Stern’s hard-won empire and SmartLess’s podcast-as-hangout format reflects a deeper media truth: legacy figures and new media stars often exist on parallel tracks, shaped by different rules, values, and expectations.

Yet both are thriving.

Stern remains a cultural institution on SiriusXM, with a back catalog and devoted audience that spans generations. SmartLess, on the other hand, is proof that podcasting—with all its informality—can still command huge influence and massive ad revenue.

Howard’s Legacy: A Giant Among Men (and Mics)

Stern’s frustrations are understandable. He’s not just a personality—he’s a pioneer. From Private Parts to his groundbreaking interviews, from FCC battles to SiriusXM’s historic $500 million contract, Stern changed the rules. He is the rules, for many.

So when someone jokes about creating a “basement radio show,” and suddenly lands an eight-figure Spotify deal, it understandably irks a man who spent decades earning every inch of broadcast territory.

“You don’t get to call it a radio show,” Stern said, “unless you’ve had to earn the airtime.”

Conclusion: Respect the Mic

Howard Stern’s comments may come off as grumpy gatekeeping to some, but they’re also a reflection of pride—pride in a craft that once required battling tooth and nail for airtime, for listeners, for relevance.

His swipe at Bateman wasn’t personal. It was generational. It was a reminder that before podcasting became cool, radio was war—and Howard Stern was one of its fiercest warriors.

In today’s media free-for-all, where “everyone’s got a mic,” Stern’s legacy stands taller than ever. And whether you agree with him or not, one thing’s clear:

He’s still got the mic. And he’s still not afraid to use it.