PTC Tells Fox to Clarify Rumor of Howard Stern for “American Idol” Slot

Stern Would Ensure the Death of the Number One Show on TV

 

LOS ANGELES (February 10, 2010) – The Parents Television Council™ is calling on Fox to dispel the rumor that Howard Stern is being considered to take over Simon Cowell’s seat as judge on “American Idol.”

 

“Given ‘American Idol’s’ extreme popularity with family audiences, I hope that Fox will put the rumors to rest and announce that it has no intention of adding to the show one of the most profane, sexually-explicit and anti-family performers in the history of the broadcast medium – either as a guest or as a judge,” said PTC President Tim Winter.  “Unless Stern intends to undergo some sort of moth-to-butterfly metamorphosis -- though in his case the change would be more like rattlesnake-to-Labrador Retriever -- adding him to ‘American Idol’ would spell immediate death for one of the best franchises in American family entertainment.”

 

Stern’s recent comments about former “American Idol” winner Fantasia show what Stern would bring to the table as a judge.

 

“Hey Fantasia, you're not getting little boys hard. Nobody's beating off to you. You look like you stepped out of a cartoon. Little boys want boners. They want a Britney Spears or a Rihanna. Little boys are scared that you are going to sit on them. You're out. Honey, you look like you stepped out of a Haitian earthquake. You've got to go clean up your act. Get a haircut like Rihanna if you want little boys beating off to you,” Stern said.

 

“Any involvement by Howard Stern on ‘American Idol’ would be disastrous and would immediately destroy the show’s hard-earned reputation as one of the most reliably family-friendly programs on broadcast television.  It would also immediately, and perhaps irreparably, alienate the show’s biggest sponsors, which tend to be trusted family brands and would not want their reputations to be tarnished by someone who has demonstrated nothing but contempt for broadcast decency through his words and his deeds,” Winter continued.

 

“Fox should move immediately to repudiate these rumors and instead commit publicly to keeping ‘American Idol’ safe for family viewing,” Winter concluded.

 

The PTC is asking concerned citizens to sign its petition to keep Howard Stern off “American Idol.”  The petition can be found at: www.parentstv.org/PTC/action/HowardStern/main.asp.