Though he has largely tried to avoid the subject, Howard Stern is opening up more then ever about his former sidekick Artie Lange.
In an interview with Rolling Stone, the Shock Jock said he’s “dismayed” by Lange’s longtime addiction crisis.
“I’m very dismayed about where he’s at. I do care, but for a whole bunch of reasons that relationship had to stop,” Stern, 65, admitted.
The radio mogul revealed he will always have a profound respect for the troubled comedian and his talent, but recognizes drug addiction got the best of him.
“Artie was on the show for 10 years. He’s a fantastic comedian. There’s nobody who could have sat in like that,” Stern said. “There’s such an intimate thing between Robin [Quivers] and myself on the air. Bringing Artie in was so great. He’s such a super talent.”
Stern called Lange’s flip-flopping about him “confusing.”
“It went from ‘Howard was the best thing that ever happened to me’ to ‘Howard’s the biggest piece of shit.’ That’s fair, though. Artie worked with me. He knows me,” he continued.
Stern refrained from spilling more, afraid that anything he could say could ruffle Lange’s fragile feathers.
“As far as me not commenting on Artie, and I know people want me to, I feel it could lead to something that would harm Artie,” Stern explained. “I don’t want to. I don’t even want to talk about Artie. It’s not any disrespect to him. I think he’s a great talent.”
As Radar previously reported, Lange is now being held in jail at the Essex County Correctional facility in New Jersey after violating his probation while in a drug court program.
Lange is expected to remain behind bars until he is seen before the judge.
The 51-year-old drug-addled comedian had been staying at a halfway house in Clinton Hill in attempt to complete a six-month drug program.
According to officials however, Lange was “non-compliant” and had to be sent back to jail.
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