How Howard Stern Almost Hooked Up With Joan Rivers
Howard Stern and Joan Rivers had a bond. The two comedic geniuses had a shared love of their craft and the utmost respect for one another. So much so that Howard was asked to speak at Joan Rivers' star-studded funeral. His eulogy for her was said to be "perfect", and it's something he has shared bits and pieces of on his acclaimed SiriusXM radio show. Joan, of course, was a regular guest on The Howard Stern Show in all its incarnations. This means that the late-great Joan was supportive of Howard during his shock-jock days and when he became one of the best celebrity interviewers.
Back in the day when Howard Stern was feuding with copious famous people, Joan was on his side. On his brief Channel 9 show in 1990, she even called Howard "a genius". And it was in this moment that Howard revealed to the world that he almost hooked up with Joan. Yes, Howard and Joan nearly had a thing. However, there's a big catch...
Howard Pulled A Prank On Joan Where He Tried To Hook Up With Her
During an interview in 1990 on Howard Stern's Channel 9 show, the radio legend talked about the time he hit on Joan Rivers. Alongside Joan and Howard were his co-host Robin Quivers and his mom, Ray Stern, who couldn't help but wonder why Joan wasn't attracted to her son. While Howard did hit on Joan and tried to hook up with her, it was for a hidden camera prank for his show. It was all for a laugh. But, like Howard in the old days, he truly did try to see just how far he could push things with her in a private moment behind the scenes on The Joan Rivers Show.
"What I did to you with the hidden camera, let's get to that first," Howard said to Joan after she was chatting up his mom on the show. "I rarely thought, I swear, deep in my heart, I thought you were really hot for me."
"Joan knows you're a married man, Howard," Howard's mom Ray said.
"Exactly," Joan responded.
"What went through your mind when I hit on you?" Howard asked the acclaimed comedian.
"I thought, this has got to be a joke," Joan said. "Knowing Howard, I knew there was a joke coming."
"Sexually you find me unappealing?" Howard asked before Joan said that she wasn't attracted to him." Why am I unappealing?"
"Because you look like Barbara Streisand."
What Happened When Howard Pranked Joan By Coming On To Her?
So, what exactly happened when Howard hit on Joan. The radio legend explained that the hidden camera prank went down behind the scenes on the former Joan Rivers Show.
"I took Joan into a hidden camera room and I came onto her," Howard said.
In the tape, Howard introduces Joan to his entourage and then he asked them to leave. After explaining to her what he was going to do on the show, Howard confided in Joan by saying that he and his wife were going through "some weird stuff". After he said this, he asked her out on a date. Joan's response to this...? Laughter.
"She gets up and starts to walk away," Howard said to his audience while running through the tape. "By the way she ran you'd think I farted or something!"
"You're a very nice man, and a very attractive man, Howard, but you're just not my type."
After Joan sat back down and explained to him that he wasn't her type, he pointed to the hidden camera, which caused her to laugh even harder.
Howard Stern Truly Adored Joan Rivers
All jokes aside, Howard truly loved Joan. Not only did she think she was a great comedian and guest on his show, he even cried like a baby when she passed away, according to CNN.
In 2020, almost six years after her tragic death, Howard recalled his relationship with Joan. He claimed that she "holds a special place" in his heart. One of the reasons why was that Joan would come on his show when he was an outcast in Hollywood for his shock-jock ways.
"She was the first one, ever, to invite me to her home," Howard said. "No celebrity ever invited me to their home."
Following her death, Howard admitted that he was "rocked" by it. While his attempt to hook up with her was purely for comedic gold, it wasn't entirely fake. Even there wasn't a romantic or physical attraction there, Howard absolutely loved her and constantly wanted her around.
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