Howard Stern contract comes on anniversary of last Artie Lange appearance

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The new Howard Stern contract was big news Thursday, and also a reminder that the Sirius XM radio show doesn’t happen in a vacuum. As fans on sites such as Save Baby Gorilla are pointing out, it’s also been one year since sidekick Artie Lange last appeared on Stern’s radio show.

A few days after that Dec. 9, 2009, show, fans would learn that Sirius management had asked the comic to “take some time off” -- then on Jan. 3, he attemped suicide by stabbing himself, but was found by his mother in time for doctors to save his life. At the time, Stern squashed rumors that Artie had quit the show.

Lange, who has struggled over the years with substance abuse, returned to the New York stand-up comedy stage in September. (Coincidentally, it was the same weekend comic Greg Giraldo was hospitalized in New Jersey for an overdose of prescription medication. Giraldo died days later.) Lange, who currently has no show dates on his calendar, recently put his Toms River, N.J., home up for sale for $3.5 million, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Whether Artie returns to the Stern show is uncertain, but the new contract definitely means there’s a bigger window of opportunity. Thoughts?

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