Howard Stern on his radio show said he was upset about the fact that “Black players” on the New York Knicks basketball team do not talk to him when he is sitting courtside during their games.
“The Knicks have been very kind to me,” Stern said on “The Howard Stern Show” on SiriusXM, “They put me right in the front row. That’s when I knew I was famous. When I, you know, I have courtside, they put me courtside, and the Black players won’t come over and say hello to me, but they go over to Spike Lee.”
Quivers then asked whether Stern is acknowledged at all, to which he said no.
“I’ll be sitting next to Tracy Morgan or Chris Rock. You know, they seat you where they seat you. And a lot of times when I’m there, I’m next to Tracy Morgan, who is so funny. And he’s sitting there and like, couple of the players will come over. They, like, give him that bro shake and stuff. And I’m like — these guys should hug me, too,” he said.
Howard added that he “grew up in a Black neighborhood,” referring to Roosevelt, a town on Long Island.
“But I get ignored,” he said.
Robin Quivers asked him whether he believed it was “a racial thing” because he’s White.
“I’m sure they talk to some White people,” Quivers said.
“No, not that I saw,” Stern answered. “I want them to. I want them to talk to me. I want them to come up and go, ‘Hey Howard, fan of the show’ or something. I don’t get that. And, you know who comes up to me sometimes — the referees. White guys and Black guys, they’ll come up to me, White referees and Black. Like, ‘Hey, Howard, hey.’ But yeah, a lot of the White referees. So I’m like, ‘Oh, is everything racial now? Can I get a shout-out from some of the players?”
“Maybe they don’t like me. I don’t know,” he said. “I’d like to think it’s a White thing, not my personality. I hope it’s racial. That’s all.”
Stern added that “fame to me is very important… I like people to recognize me.”
