How Gary Busey's Bizarre Wrestling Stunt Got Him Banned From Howard Stern's TV Show
It's hard to imagine someone getting so out-of-hand on the "Howard Stern Show" that they're never welcomed back. Since the mid 1980s, Stern's iconic broadcast has been a haven of controversy, crudeness, and wacky gimmicks that have raised pulses across the airwaves and sent FCC bloodhounds to his doorstep. Without hinderance or apology, The King of All Media reigns supreme and currently entertains 20 million Sirius XM subscribers on a daily basis (via Cnet).
All the same, there's still a code of conduct, and Howard Stern's madhouse of wack packers is no exception. In 2001, at the height of the radio show's heyday, actor Gary Busey learned this the hard way. The "Lethal Weapon" star was known for his peculiar behavior and eccentric tendencies, so the convergence between him and the radio host seemed to be a match made in Howard heaven. Unfortunately, Busey wound up in Stern Show Hell instead (per Ranker).
Gary Busey was banned for violating personal boundaries
Fandom Wire reports that when Gary Busey was invited to join the host and his team of commentators on the Howard Stern Show in 2001, his outlandish behavior got him blacklisted. At one point, the actor — albeit in good fun — picked up Howard's longtime co-host Robin Quivers and attempted to lift her above his head. He then turned on Stern himself and, after chasing him around the studio to the point of exhaustion, tried to wrestle him to the floor.
Despite repeated warnings from staff and Howard himself to calm down and mind his own space, Busey persisted. Everyone laughed and did their best to shrug it off at first, but the interview ultimately had to be cut short and he was escorted out. Following the embarrassing debacle, Busey provided inquirers with the closest thing to an explanation one could expect from him: "I have 13 separate personality parts that I know of. That personality you saw on Howard Stern that day is 'Pesky, the Excitable Boy" (via Ranker).
Gary Busey was invited back years later
16 years later, the Gary Busey ban was finally nixed and he was cordially invited back into the studio for an interview. This time, he managed to maintain his composure and the exchange remained civil. Busey talked about his time working in music, joining acts like Bruce Springsteen on stage, and portraying the late Buddy Holly on the big screen. "I sang all the songs and we did everything in one take. It was like a blessing from Buddy himself because I realized two months after I had done the movie that I was channeling his spirit when I sang," Busey told Howard (per Howard Stern).
Given the nature of the broadcast, The Howard Stern Show is bound to accommodate some unwanted energy from time to time. Nonetheless, forgiving and forgetting is the name of the game, and all's well that ends well in the Stern Show universe.