When Howard Stern won’t stand for bad behavior

What happened

Shock jock Howard Stern’s on-air sidekick, comedian Artie Lange, stormed out of the studio on Thursday after Stern scolded him on the air for threatening his assistant in an argument over money. The spat between Lange and his assistant occurred in a hallway, but it later spilled over into the studio of the Howard Stern Show for Sirius Satellite Radio. “That was crazy what I just saw,” Stern said. “I don't understand it. I don't approve of it.” (Chicago Sun-Times)

What the commentators said

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Lange’s meltdown was “radio gold, a cliffhanger worthy of the best B-movie serial,” said Frank Houston in Miami New Times’ Riptide 2.0 blog. “The best, or worst, part—depending on whether you’re a Sirius subscriber or a Sirius exec—is that there is no Stern show on Fridays, and the whole gang is on vacation next week.” So we’ll have to wait and see how this turns out—but Lange has been on a “collision course” for a while, with his weight ballooning to 300 lbs., and his violent outbursts showing no signs of stopping.

Lange just lost his mind, said TMZ’s gossip blog. His blow-up was so outrageous that it caused “pangs of anxiety throughout Howard's loyal legion of fans that the bloated comic” is really gone for good. Stern clearly can't stand for this, because he has seen the warning signs from Lange one time too many. “Sources close to the show tell TMZ that both the fight and the situation are definitely real. As for Artie never coming back—we're not so sure.”

Lange left Stern with little choice but to show him the door, said the New York Post's Page Six (free registration). He tried to punch his underling, and told Stern that he couldn't promise he wouldn't explode again. Besides, "it's out of Stern's hands and that Sirius management will soon decide Lange's fate."

It’s hard to take Lange seriously given how many times he has walked out before, said NJ.com’s Hoboken Now blog. This wasn’t “the first such outburst from Artie, who had previously threatened to quit by the end of 2007.”