Let’s not sugarcoat it: Howard Stern built a career out of mocking Black people, and now he’s trying to play serious interviewer with a Black presidential candidate. The man who once paraded around in blackface, used the N-word like it was a punchline, and leaned into every offensive stereotype you can imagine is sitting across from someone who represents the future of Black leadership in America. Yeah, that’s real.
Stern’s history isn’t something you can just gloss over or brush under the rug. We’re talking about a guy who thought it was entertaining to mock Black culture on national television.
He didn’t just toe the line of what was acceptable—he bulldozed right over it. Whether it was slapping on blackface, stuffing prosthetic lips onto his face for a “bit,” or speaking in a cartoonishly exaggerated Black accent, Stern didn’t just lean into stereotypes—he broadcast them to the masses. And, let’s not forget, this wasn’t some one-off mistake in the 1970s. This was part of his shtick for years. His use of racial slurs and derogatory humor wasn’t an accident. It was intentional, and it was profitable.
So, now we’re supposed to believe that Stern—who spent decades ridiculing Black people—is the guy to have a serious conversation with a Black candidate about leading the country? It’s beyond ironic; it’s downright insulting. This isn’t some feel-good story of redemption or “growth.” No, it’s the same Howard Stern, the same guy who used to drop the N-word with reckless abandon, now pretending to be an insightful voice in a political moment that his former self would have made a mockery of.
In episode of his show, Stern used the term, “Smelly N-word” on television.
What makes it worse is Stern’s casual attitude about it all. He’s admitted to cringing at his old behavior, but that’s not enough. Saying “I cringe” doesn’t erase years of blatant, racially charged entertainment that hurt Black people for laughs. This isn’t a moment where we pat him on the back for finally admitting that blackface and racial slurs were wrong. That’s the absolute bare minimum—something that should have been obvious decades ago. And let’s be real: just because Stern isn’t that same guy on camera today doesn’t mean he gets to act like it never happened.
There’s no room here for Stern to wiggle out of this and claim personal growth. He used Black bodies, Black culture, and Black pain for profit. And now, he’s trying to have an “important” conversation with a Black presidential candidate? It feels disingenuous. Imagine sitting there as the candidate, knowing that the man interviewing you once mocked your very existence for millions to laugh at. How is this acceptable? Why should anyone trust Stern to lead a conversation about race or politics, when he’s spent so much of his career on the wrong side of both?
Howard Stern might want to distance himself from his past, but you can’t just erase it when it’s convenient. His offensive antics aren’t some relic from a forgotten era—they’re well-documented, broadcast to the world, and part of the reason he became a household name. And now, he’s trying to position himself as a legitimate interviewer in this deeply serious political moment? It’s not just awkward; it’s outrageous.
Stern doesn’t get a pass. Not now. Not ever. You can’t laugh your way out of accountability.
