There's no doubt that comedian Artie Lange has led a tough life ever since leaving The Howard Stern Show at the end of 2009. Though fans of the Beer League star know that he has struggled with addiction and mental health issues since before he became famous. These struggles led to a rather horrific event that ended his time on The Howard Stern Show.
Since then, fans have been furious with Stern for basically shunning Lange from the radio show. Not only has Lange never returned but Stern almost never speaks about him, even going so far as to actively avoid the topic when guests or callers bring it up. For years, Lange also waged war on Stern, calling him out for moving away from his more politically incorrect material or his alleged treatment of some of his former staffers. This is despite most of them being exceptionally well-paid.
But in recent years, both comedians have cooled their jets. Lange, in particular, has said some very nice things about his former colleague and friend...
What Did Artie Lange Say About Howard Stern?
While Artie Lange continued to struggle with his sobriety in the decade and a half since his departure from The Stern Show, he publicly waged war against Howard Stern. During this time, he went on numerous radio shows, including Opie and Anthony and the Joe Rogan Experience, and bashed his former boss, colleague, and friend. Mostly because he was hurt that Stern cut him out of both his life and many of the replays on SiriusXM.
Among the few times in the years directly following his tumultuous 2009 departure, Artie Lange referenced why Stern wouldn't have him back on the show.
"Howard is afraid he’s gonna say the wrong thing and set me off. He’s like, 'God forbid something happens.' What happened was real intense. The times I’ve talked to him, he’s been real supportive. He’s happy for me that I’m back on track and doing better," Artie Lange said to Rolling Stone while promoting his book in 2013.
"He was like, 'You need professional help.' And he was right, of course. And I was working there when it happened. He’s thinking, 'What if he goes back and something triggers something?'"
Of course, Lange was referring to the attempt on his own life and the turbulent addiction issue that led up to it. Following this Rolling Stone interview, Lange would have multiple other relapses that prevented him from having a career comeback. And these relapses triggered a lot of anger in him.
On his podcast in 2016, Artie Lange accused Stern of "abandoning" his fans by going too "PC", according to The Daily Mail. He also called Stern an 'a**hole' for his alleged treatment of some of his former staffers. And this was just the start of it. A year later, he publicly stated that the two of them "hate each other's guts".
But in 2019, Lange began to soften on Stern. This includes when he publicly praised Stern's book of interviews, "Howard Stern Comes Again". A few months later, Artie Lange was interviewed by Steve Trevelise and claimed that Stern was "very nice" to him when the book came out. This is because Stern made some supportive comments about Lange to the press.
This includes Howard Stern's interview with The New York Times.
"We've lost touch and that's my doing. I got my fingers crossed for the guy ... I know that a lot of fans want me to talk about Artie and feel it's a cop-out for me not to. I'll take that," Howard Stern said to The New York Times. "I don't want to do anything that would rock his boat. I get sad talking about Artie. He was a tremendous contributor, but we had to move on."
During his September 2019 interview with Steve Trevelise, Artie Lange claimed that Stern has been "very sweet".
"[Stern] kind of alluded to the fact that he has some guilt over what happened, he should have no guilt. All Howard did was try to help me. All Howard did was give me the best job ever. And I take full responsibility," Lange said to Trevelise.
"[Stern] had no choice but to let me go. I was going to die."
Lange went on to say, "He got me into rehab a couple of times. And I would leave. And he was in my crazy life. And I don't think he knew what to do after a while. When a junkie is in your life and you care about them, they start to to rip your heart out. So, Howard, I love him. He did nothing but help me. And He's got no reason to feel any guilt."
What Happened To Artie Lange?
Artie Lange landed in jail in 2019 for a rehab program violation, according to Page Six. Shortly after he was released and seemingly did a lot of work to get clean. However, he constantly had troubles and stayed out of the limelight with the exception of a few interviews and hosting his short-lived podcast.
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In February 2022, Lange decided to step away from his podcast, staying on Instagram, "Thanks to my fans for supporting the podcast. I'm so lucky to have you. I've decided to take a break from the show for a bit. I've got 3 years clean, it's not that. I just need more time to focus on being healthy. I'll be back when i'm better and i'll be better when i'm back. Love ya, Artie."
Lange made a couple more posts on Instagram in 2022 but didn't post again until April 2023. He's mostly been silent across all social media platforms and vanished from the public eye.
According to SILive.com, Artie Lange deiced to focus on all aspects of his health instead of trying to have a career comeback. SILive interviewed Lange's longtime friend Jimmy Palumbo who said, "[Artie is] doing OK. He’s sober. He’s just trying to put it all together right now. Get himself healthy and have a clear mind. And he’s just not really doing anything, any public appearances."
Palumbo continued by saying, "But I do talk to him. I talked to his mother and his sister. And, you know, he’s just kind of put it all together. So, I’m hopeful that soon, you’re going see Artie Lange again. He’s still got a fastball left. I pray for him. I wish him well."
