Summary
- Howard Stern admits to his germaphobia and how it has caused friction with his wife Beth during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Beth Stern expresses frustration with Howard's constant focus on COVID.
- Robin Quivers suggests that Howard may be addicted to Beth's affection and attention.
Howard Stern owns the fact that he's "crazy". The host of the SiriusXM show has been honest about his crippling germaphobia, as well as how irrational it can be. While the radio legend once risked the future of his show by refusing to return to his New York studio to solely broadcast from his basement during the COVID-19 pandemic, Stern has since come a long way. Most notably for his daughter Ashley's wedding.
However, at the beginning of September 2023, the self-proclaimed King of All Media revealed that a resurgence of his germaphobia has caused friction with his wife, Beth.
This sparked both an off and on-air argument that caused his longtime co-host Robin Quivers to step in. During the discussion, Quivers accused Stern of having an "addiction" to his wife more than he has a fear of getting sick...
Howard Stern's Disease Caused Arguments With His Wife, Beth
On Howard Stern's September 6th, 2023 radio show, it was revealed that he and his wife Beth have been arguing about whether or not to sequester themselves with news of another COVID-19 variant.
According to The New York Post, Stern conceded that he is both "neurotic" and "paranoid" about the disease. After all, the summer of 2023 marked the first time since March 2020 that Stern has socialized without distancing and masks.
Stern's wife, Beth, on the other hand, has not been as freaked out about getting sick. While she has tried to be supportive of Stenr's germaphobia in the past, she appears to be over it.
After revealing that Beth had booked a number of major social events in September, as well as in the new year, Stern claimed he was "nervous" about her getting him sick.
"I’m going crazy with this. My wife yelled at me last night. We got into a fight," Howard Stern said on air.
Stern then admitted that he understood how frustrated Beth was with him for bringing up COVID every time she tried to do something social.
“It makes me nervous. I’m neurotic. Listen, I have a lot of issues. I’m a neurotic. You know what a neurotic is?” Stern said to his audience, Beth, and co-host Robin Quivers who sharply responded by saying, "Yes, a person with no real problems, but who makes them up."
While on air, Beth Stern admitted that she was "really mad" at her husband for being so focused on COVID despite making great improvements to get over it during the summer.
Despite Stern trying to focus the discussion on whether or not he'd get really ill if he got COVID, both Beth and Quivers took aim at him for the underlying issue...
Is Howard Stern Addicted To His Wife, Beth?
Yes, Howard Stern has been a germaphobe for decades, made worse by the COVID-19 pandemic. And, yes, he is also a neurotic who suffers from levels of anxiety. But he may have a different issue... An addiction to affection and attention. Primarily from his wife, Beth, with whom he has been with since early 2000 and been married since October 2008. At least, this is the assertion from both Beth and the other woman in Stern's life, his longtime co-host Robin Quivers.
During the COVID-19 discussion on his September 6th, 2023 show, Beth Stern accused her husband of being less worried about the disease and more worried about her doing activities without him.
"I know that [worrying about me giving you COVID] is just a reaction to me having plans without you," Beth Said on air about an upcoming girl's night, a baby shower, and a trip with friends to Paris in 2024. "You immediately have to ruin it for me. 'We're going to get COVID'. That's an attack. Honey, I'm so mad at you I just want to strangle you right now. I love you so much. But I'm so mad at you."
After listing the numerous activities Beth was doing without him, Stern forced her to reveal her big vacation to Paris without him.
"What are you doing to me?" Stern asked Beth. "Where are you going without me?"
"I got invited to Paris with some girlfriends," Beth responded before turning to Quivers and saying, " Can you believe I'm doing that to him, Robin?"
Stern then claimed that Beth was going to the "most romantic city in the world" without him. This caused Quivers to criticize Stern for never going despite numerous opportunities.
"Do you see his pattern, Robin? It's not about COVID. It's about him not going with me to the most romantic city in the world," Beth asserted.
"That's right, Beth, that's exactly what it was. Like, 'How dare she leave me!'" Quivers agreed.
"I understand that Beth needs to have a life," Stern said.
"Do you? Do you really?" Quivers questioned.
"[It's just that] everything is crazy right now," Stern said, referring to COVID and the state of the world.
"No, everything is not crazy. You're crazy"
Beth agreed with Quivers and doubled down on how Stern uses COVID as an excuse to try and stop her from doing social activities without him.
"It's not an attack. We are going to get COVID," Stern claimed.
"There was a new strain yesterday. There's always a new strain," Beth argued back. "We're vaccinated. We're boosted."
While Stern tried to defend his position, Quivers cut right to what she believed was the root of the problem. Her assertion was that Stern is actually "addicted" to Beth's presence in his life more than he's afraid of getting sick.
"Howard, it's like an addiction. It's not 'I love being with you'. It's 'I need to be with you. And you can't leave. You can't go to Paris for four days. You can't have a good time without me.'"
"I didn't say that..."
"That's what you're basically saying," Quivers responded. "Instead of dealing with yourself [and your issues] you want Beth to deal with your anxiety."
"I'm paranoid about COVID," Stern continued to claim.
"I feel that it's more than that," Beth responded. "I feel like you feel I'm abandoning you."
Finally, Stern admitted that what Quivers and Beth were asserting was somewhat accurate...
"You married a man who feels completely unloved. There's a black hole inside of me. That lives there. That I don't even believe that anyone could love me," Stern said. "So when you leave [to go to a social function without me], you know how badly I want to be in your life. So, it's an adjustment for me. I'm not saying it's easy. But I adjust and I move on."
