Howard Stern SiriusXM channel 101 cancellation rumors grow after mass layoffs

Tatiana Krisztina & Ayeesha WalshTue, August 11, 2026 at 8:27 PM UTC

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Howard Stern could see more cuts to his on-air content -Credit:Getty

Howard Stern's SiriusXM channel 101 is reportedly at risk of being shut down following another wave of layoffs at the satellite radio company.

The channel, which has been devoted to archiving and broadcasting content from Stern's decades-long radio career, is now said to be in "grave danger" as SiriusXM continues cutting its workforce. Stern currently operates two dedicated SiriusXM channels, with Howard 100 featuring his live broadcasts and fresh content, while Howard 101 showcases classic interviews, segments, and memorable moments from over twenty years of The Howard Stern Show.

However, a significant round of redundancies earlier this year has reportedly left Howard 101 especially at risk. A source said, "A lot of the staff who were laid off in the first round worked for his 101 channel. Those staffers thought since it was a channel focused on Howard's legacy with historical clips and interviews, it would be the home for the archives moving forward."

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This comes as Stern's team were instructed not to communicate with the radio legend following the widespread job cuts for an unusual reason.

According to the insider, employees had assumed the archive would offer some employment stability even if the iconic broadcaster ultimately chose to hang up his headphones. They believed if Stern were to retire soon, at least the archives would remain operational, thereby protecting their positions, reports the Express US.

Howard is known for his long-running star-studded show -Credit:Getty

But that confidence has reportedly been rattled following additional cutbacks. The source continued to The U.S. Sun, "Now, since they gutted the team, it seems more than likely that Sirius will be keeping the main Howard 100 channel and ultimately parting ways with 101."

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The fresh wave of concern follows a second round of job cuts that took place in July. In the aftermath, Stern's crew was reportedly told via a Zoom meeting that the radio legend would be scaling back his live broadcasts to just a single day each week.

This decision has only fueled rumors about what lies ahead for his SiriusXM stations, with those close to the situation suggesting the decreased output of new programming could make maintaining a dedicated archive channel increasingly hard to defend. The insider suggested that after the reveal, the fate of both channels has become apparent.

There have been massive layoffs for the show -Credit:Getty

They said, "Soon, since there is so little new content, production will be forced to fill Howard 100 with archival clips."

These updates come amid reports that multiple behind-the-scenes staff members on The Howard Stern Show were discreetly let go after Stern extended his SiriusXM agreement in December.

The initial significant wave of dismissals kicked off on February 12, barely two months after the broadcaster finalized a new three-year partnership with the streaming platform. Since the early terminations primarily affected non-broadcast personnel, audiences were at first unlikely to grasp the extent of the shake-up.

At the time one insider said, "They let all these people go, and it was like, 'Nothing to see here,' since none of the people were on the air," while a second claimed the cuts were extensive, adding, "At least 40 people were let go."

Multiple staff members are believed to have turned down the company's original severance offer, which reportedly amounted to roughly one week's salary for each year of service. A handful were apparently successful in securing better deals through negotiation.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”