Is Howard Stern kicking or sticking with SiriusXM? Here’s what we know

Oh Howard Stern, you scamp.

The beloved longtime radio host pranked his listeners early Monday morning by suggesting that he had left his popular show on SiriusXM radio, with Bravo host Andy Cohen filling in.

“I know that you’re expecting a big announcement from Howard, and this is not how things were meant to go,” Cohen said initially. “There’s been a lot of talk about what’s going to happen with Howard’s deal. Is he fired? I don’t know how much I’m allowed to say, except that he’s not here and I am. Howard was supposed to start the show today, and this was supposed to be something of a cleaner handoff. There is nothing clean about it. Here we are. I’m kind of winging it.”

However, several minutes later, it was revealed that this was all a big hoax and Stern was, in fact, still on the air.

“Everything you’ve been reading in the paper about me or about Robin is completely false,” he said on the air.

There was a lot of rampant speculation in recent weeks about whether or not Stern, 71, would renew his contact with the satellite radio company SiriusXM or if the show was being canceled. He initially told listeners he would address the issue on Sept. 2, but that was pushed back to Sept. 8.

Stern told Variety that while he had been considering retiring, he felt he couldn’t walk away given rumors that his show had been canceled.

“I’m very happy at Sirius,” he said. It is not known yet, however, if he has finalized a new contract with the company yet or what the terms are. Stern’s contact with SiriusXM ends at the end of the year.

“The Howard Stern” show has been on the air for over two decades, and moved to satellite radio back in 2006.