Howard Stern, the popular and highly paid radio host, returned to SiriusXM’s airwaves Monday after trolling listeners into thinking he had departed his long-running show.

Stern, 71, who evolved from his shock jock origins to become a respected interviewer, enlisted a seemingly flustered Andy Cohen at the top of “The Howard Stern Show” to pretend to be his successor.

“This was supposed to be a cleaner handoff. I’m kind of winging it,” Cohen said.

Stern then came on the air and thanked the Bravo personality, who has his own SiriusXM show and podcast, for agreeing to do the bit. The stunt was the culmination of weeks of promos that promised a big reveal, following swirling speculation that Stern’s show would be canceled. “The tabloids have spoken: Howard Stern fired, canceled,” one promo video said. “Is it really bye-bye Booey?” The speculation grew after Stern postponed his return from a summer break last week.

While he did return Monday, Stern did not announce that he had reached a new contract with SiriusXM. His current deal expires at the end of the year.

“Here’s the truth: SiriusXM and my team have been talking about how we go forward in the future. They’ve approached me, they’ve sat down with me like they normally do, and they’re fantastic,” Stern said.

Harry’s visit fuels talk about meeting with king

Prince Harry arrived in the U.K. on Monday for a visit to his charities, sparking speculation about whether he will meet with his father, King Charles III, for the first time in 19 months.

Amid signs of a thaw in the frigid relationship between Harry and the rest of the royal family, British media suggest that the prince’s trip to London on Monday’s third anniversary of the death of Queen Elizabeth II provides an opening for a long-overdue rapprochement between Charles, 76, and his estranged son. Harry visited the monarch’s grave in Windsor to offer his respects and lay flowers.

Harry has had little contact with his father and elder brother, Prince William, since he and his wife, the former Meghan Markle, gave up royal duties and moved to California in 2020. The relationship became even frostier after the couple bared their grievances with Buckingham Palace in a tell-all interview, a Netflix series and Harry’s memoir, “Spare.”

The last time Harry and Charles met was in February 2024, when the prince flew to London after receiving news that his father had been diagnosed with cancer. Harry spent about 45 minutes with Charles before the king flew to his Sandringham country estate to recuperate from his treatment.

— Wire reports