Howard Stern on American Idol

Ever since Simon Cowell announced he was leaving American Idol at the end of season 9, there has been incredible amounts of speculation on who his replacement will be. While Idol executives have stayed mum on the topic, one of the possibilities getting the public's attention is Howard Stern. While this rumor hasn't been confirmed, Idol message boards have been on fire with discussions on whether Stern would be a good fit on the show. There are many reasons watchers should be skeptic about Stern as an American Idol judge. The truth is, he doesn't fit the show at all.

Do you remember the phenomenon of Sanjaya from season 6? He was outperformed week after week by the other contestants, kept alive by voters who conspired to make a crock out of Idol. The main push first came from a site called Vote For The Worst, but Howard Stern quickly jumped on board. How can American Idol consider hiring someone who tried to make a mockery out of their very competition?

Stern isn't a music expert. He's not an artist, a song writer, or a label executive. Idol already has a judge that speaks for the general public - Ellen Degeneres. Having half of their judges as non-experts would make it more of a subjective opinion than an insight into what works in the real world for musicians.

Idol doesn't want controversy. Surprised? Idol loves Cowell's controversy - clean and truthful. But back in season 2 when Frenchie Davis topless photos surfaced, she was immediately kicked off the show. To rebuild their image, they promptly hired a Christian marketing team. They didn't want to lose their faith-based viewers - and those viewers would certainly disappear as soon as Stern was confirmed for the job. Not only that, but Idol's average viewer is 44.2 years old. That age group is past drama and just wants to watch the show. That is not what Howard brings to the table.

He's a male chauvinist. Even non-feminists can agree with this statement. He gets (very willing, mind you) women on his talk show, gets them to strip down and tells them how hot they are. He makes sexual statements to the females on his show and talks about sex constantly. He will be in the presence of young women - some of them underage (the contestants vary in age from 16-28). It's a scary thought to have Howard Stern in a room with an attractive 16 year old.

He's a shock jock. This show has to follow Federal Communications Commission (FCC) guidelines. At its time slow, that means Howard would have to watch his mouth. In his years of broadcasting, he has never toned it down. In fact, he chose to go to satellite in order to get away with his current level. Control is not one of Howard's strengths.

His criticism would not be constructive. Howard doesn't hold back. And without a music industry background, he would tear contestants based on looks, style, whatever he wanted, and it wouldn't help the contestants one bit in their future careers. Not only that, but he wouldn't have the advantage of Cowell, who knows the industry, what sells and who will succeed. He's definitely sharp-tongued, but has nothing to back it up. Simon's brutal honesty is helpful because he knows what he's talking about.

In short, Idol would be making a huge mistake by hiring Howard Stern. They would lose the viewers they've worked so hard to keep, and turn it from an expert show to a sham.