What did Bill Maher say about Howard Stern's wife? Marriage remarks trigger livid response from radio host

American media personality Howard Stern clapped back at sociopolitical commentator Bill Maher for making some unpleasant comments about his wife. On September 19's episode of The Howard Stern Show, the 69-year-old host responded to Maher's remarks about him gushing over his wife, Beth Stern, publicly. Stern said:

“What a sexist thing to say!”

The remarks come after Bill Maher commented on Stern's love for his wife, on the September 18 episode of his Club Random podcast, and alluded that Howard's public display of affection is a slight dig at his first wife, Alison Berns.

“[Howard Stern] goes on about how much he loves his wife, Beth, which he has been doing on the air for, like, 10 years. But we know Howard had this other wife before Beth. So he’s trying to make me seem like I’m the slightly immoral one because I haven’t settled down. Could we just not gush about the person while the other person can still hear it?"

Bill Maher, who was interviewing Julian Lennon on the episode, continued with his remarks stating he does not want to start a fight with Stern after they have "finally repaired our relationship…and we’re getting along great.” Howard Stern and Alison Berns got married in 1978 but split up in 2000. A year later, their divorce was finalized.

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Howard Stern did not like Bill Maher's comments on his marriage

As mentioned above, Howard Stern clapped back at Bill Maher's comments about his second marriage, calling him "sexist" and saying that he “ought to shut his mouth.”

"What a convoluted, nutty thing to say. It’s assuming that he knows something about my first marriage. That, of course, the man must be leaving the woman and the woman must be devastated and be sitting around pining away for her famous man."

Stern said it is better to gush about one's partners instead of ragging on them all the time.

"He ought to shut his mouth! I mean, I don’t think I come on the air every day and say, 'I love my wife.' But I thought it was a pretty positive message, to — especially with my audience — to say to guys: 'Instead of like ragging on our wives, how about talking about that we appreciate them and love them?'"

Stern said that Maher seemed to be "very worried about my relationship" and that he contacted him through email, asking him to be candid about his thoughts about his life.

“I wrote in an email, I said, 'Why don’t you give me a phone call? Why don’t you tell me what you think about my life and my marriage since you’re, you know.' But of course, he never wrote me back. I just wanted to see how brave he was. If he was brave enough to call me and actually get on the phone with me and zero response. I don’t care, though. He can think what he wants. I think I’m no longer friends with him."

The heated back and forth comes years after Bill Maher and Howard Stern appeared on HBO's Real Time show in October 2019 and discussed how they were happy patching things up in their friendship. Howard Stern told Maher:

“The one big difference between us is I am in a committed, loving relationship with a woman.”

When Maher began laughing and asked him to "enjoy it," Stern said:

"I don’t understand. I know you’re a heterosexual male. What is it? Do you ever have like a serious girlfriend? Because we don’t see you anywhere.”

To this, Maher jokingly responded that it was his interview and Stern should just "sit back." He then added that he loves being alone and claimed that people who are married “are not alive.” After Howard Stern affirmed that he is "so happily married," Maher said:

“People are so personal about this issue. You’re not better and I’m not worse” because of relationship status. I never understood how you can be with the same person just day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year, I just don’t get that.”

Howard Stern and his current wife, Beth, crossed paths with each other in 2000 and began dating soon after. They got married in 2008 and have been together ever since.