Howard Stern 'flipped' his political views as he doesn't want to upset celebrity pals, claims ex-coworker
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Howard Stern’s evolution from an unapologetic shock jock to a mainstream celebrity hasn’t sat well with at least one former colleague.
Steven Grillo, who interned on 'The Howard Stern Show' in the 1990s, claims that Stern’s shift in politics and personality is driven by his friendships with A-list celebrities.
Steven Grillo slams former boss Howard Stern's political U-turn
Steven Grillo, now 58, didn’t hold back in a recent interview, calling Stern’s evolution from a Republican-leaning provocateur to a left-leaning celebrity insider “pathetic.”
Grillo insists he never aspired to be on the air and took the job solely to work behind the scenes. However, he claims Stern unexpectedly targeted him despite knowing he was a dyslexic college student.
“The place was a snake pit; you never knew when you were going to be set up,” Grillo told the New York Post. “I was always a nervous wreck and it got worse when they brought me on the show. I’d have Robin (Quivers, co-host) cackling in my ear, somebody would be throwing balls of paper in my face … Then I would have Howard staring at me, with his piercing blue eyes darting all over the place, trying to make me look worse than I already did.”
Back in the '90s when Grillo, now 58, worked for Howard Stern at New York’s WXRK, the shock jock was a completely different person.
Long before his toned-down interviews with former president Joe Biden, Stern leaned Republican. “He definitely got George Pataki elected Governor (of New York in 1995) and he was a big (Rudy) Giuliani supporter,” Grillo recalled. “It’s gross to see what he’s turned into. I think it’s quite pathetic, to be honest.”
Grillo believes Stern has done a complete 180 politically. “At some point, his brain flipped,” he said.
“I think it has to do with the people he associates with. He’s in the (left) herd, and he doesn’t want to upset them. Now he’s friends with all these A-listers, people like Jimmy Kimmel. If he goes up against them, he’s going to get kicked out of the club. He used to make fun of all those celebrities,” Grillo added.
Stern’s relationship with Donald Trump is another example of his change, according to Grillo. “Trump and Howard were friends, they talked all the time,” said Grillo. “Then Howard turned on his friend.”
Howard Stern's former intern Steve Grillo details alleged mistreatment in new memoir
Steve Grillo, a former intern on 'The Howard Stern Show', is pulling back the curtain on his tumultuous eight-year tenure working under the host.
In his new self-published memoir titled 'Gorilla Parts', which is co-written with Jason Huza, Grillo reveals humiliating experiences, exploitation, and even a moment where he may have saved Stern’s life.
Grillo was dubbed "Gorilla" by Stern. He described Stern as a genuinely kind person behind the scenes who “hated” confrontation.
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Grillo first joined 'The Howard Stern Show' as a college intern, only getting paid in his final two years at minimum wage. While Stern’s on-air persona thrived on controversy, Grillo claims his behind-the-scenes reality was even worse.
"He continually broke my balls," Grillo recalls, before adding, “I was always getting yelled at for not preparing his baked potato properly, failing to get him his hot water when he needed it."
One of the most embarrassing moments, he recalls, “He made me wear a turban and an Indian outfit that looked like a diaper when I went to get his hot water [from a nearby coffee shop]. It was embarrassing.”
Even his father was disgusted by the treatment, especially after Stern pitted him against an 11-year-old in a spelling bee, only to humiliate him when he lost.
Steven Grillo recalls saving Howard Stern’s life
Grillo once found himself protecting Stern from a would-be assassin. In 1995, while meeting Stern’s limo outside 600 Madison Avenue, Grillo spotted a suspicious man loitering nearby.
"I noticed a car parked in front of 600 Madison Avenue, where the radio station was. A guy was standing on the corner,” he recalled.
Grillo instructed Stern’s driver to pull up at the back of the building. The driver followed orders, but somehow, a man got close enough for Grillo to hear him screaming, “Howard Stern, you motherf—er, I’m going to kill you.”
Recalling the terrifying moment, Grillo said, “I pushed Howard into the building before the guy could do anything. Security came out and the police were called. The guy was put into handcuffs. I saw his shotgun with 12 shells on top of the car.... Thankfully no one was hurt.”
Stern acknowledged the moment on air but, according to Grillo, it was “a throw-away thanks.”
Though he eventually started earning minimum wage, Grillo struggled to make ends meet, relying on bartending and paid appearances.
When he privately asked for a raise, Stern berated him on-air, offering a 30-cent per hour increase instead. That was the breaking point, Grillo quit soon after.
