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Artie Lange Melts Down, and We Wait... and Wait

Fri Apr 11, 2008 at 08:21:48 AM
artie_lange.jpg

It was radio gold, a cliffhanger worthy of the best B-movie serial. Comedian Artie Lange, who visits Miami regularly (read here about my visit to his suite last year at the Setai)
walked off the Howard Stern Show in a major huff Thursday morning after nearly assaulting his assistant on the air. The best, or worst, part – depending on whether you’re a Sirius subscriber or a Sirius exec – is that there is no Stern show on Fridays, and the whole gang is on vacation next week.

Artie’s been on a collision course for months (see “Not Dead Yet”), if not years, as every Stern listener knows. His weight has ballooned past 300 pounds, and when he’s not cramming his mouth with junk food and Hawaiian Punch, he’s falling asleep. On Wednesday’s show, he napped for well over an hour.

Thursday’s tiff erupted over another in a series of foibles by Teddy Knuetter, Artie’s young, beleaguered assistant. (This one had something to do with Teddy mishandling Lange’s passport, and turned into a money dispute.) Usually it’s all in good fun. Not today.

As he has done more and more frequently, Artie launched into a homophobic tirade. He threw a cup at Teddy, and then apparently lunged at him before being restrained by several cast members, including executive producer Gary Dell’Abate.

Lange said that, had he reached him, Teddy would be “dead” and the rotund comedian would be in jail. A dumbfounded Stern said he couldn’t condone Lange's actions, and Artie replied that he couldn’t gaurantee it wouldn’t happen again. Howard said he couldn’t have that.

“Well, I resign,” Artie said.

Before he walked out, Lange said, “I'm not a good person ... I gotta leave ... I love you, Howard.”
“I love you too,” said Stern, audibly shaken.

“What the F just happened?” said Stern’s sidekick, Robin Quivers. It may be a while before we know. –Frank Houston

Category: Culture

38 Comments:

Steve F says:

Artie's the funniest guy in the world and I hope he comes back because the Stern show wouldn't be the same without him. That being said he does need some professional help to deal with his depression.
Come on back Artie!!

Artie Lange says:

All I really wanted was a cold Hawaiian Punch, and he couldn't even do that right. No Punch, no peace!

CH says:

Artie is funny but I'm really tired of hearing about his drug and food problems. He is a fat heroine addict that needs help but refuses to accept any. I'm done with it...and all the "breaks" these guys take is getting to me as well. They get paid millions of dollars (Stern got $500M didn't he?) and they only work 4 days a week???? That just doesn't seem right. I do hope Artie DOES NOT come back because if he does that is all they will talk about for the next 2 weeks when they do get back to work.

Artie says:

so I almost hit him
WAH WAH WAH

Glen says:

Thank God!

Now Jackie can come back.

big baby gorilla says:

Teddy has been stealing money from me and I am the one to get fired? what is this world coming to? The show announced it will hire George Takei full time, and become as crappy as American friggin Idol. I hope Bruce doesnt do Howard as well now.

Dana says:

I should have signed an embaressment clause before sleeping with that bloated manatee. Now he's going to spend the rest of his money overdosing, when I'm the one who kept him alive long enough to move to satellite!

Todd says:

Bring on Greg Fitzsimmons!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

fat artie says:

he is NOT FUNNY! thank GOD he's GONE! no more boring stories about girls he didn't get to fuck. bring someone funny like Florentine. hahaa

as long as it's not Dane Cook

JustinTime says:

Artie can decide at any time that he wants to turn his life around. Obesity and drug use (in this case) are CHOICES. His unhappiness partially caused by these two problems in his life, which in turn probably leads directly to his hard to control anger. I hope he gets it together. Following in John Belushi's footsteps is not cool. I'm always amazed at how hard it is for people to be grateful for just being ALIVE, much less being alive and having access to the finer things in life. Artie really needs to start traveling the world to see how the other half lives. It will really give him some much needed perspective.

Buck says:

Greg Fitzshimmons is not funny and a hack. He speaks as if he knows everything.

Sericea says:

Please don't leave Artie..We love you

Phil says:

Good riddance, Artie! Make way for Billy West.

Fa Fa Fo Hi says:

Artie had to catch a plane and wanted to get out of the studio early.

Spuds Buckley says:

That OLD gag.....

Stern couldn't even wait more than a year to re-use the "Artie quits the day before vacation" bit.

Old & Tired.....Stern needs to follow Brett Favre into retirement.

glowieNYC says:

Greatest bit ever!

What was homophobic about Artie's rage?
dickhead!

Chris says:

About as real as the wrestling I watched on Monday night.


Jefe (sternscope), unless I am mistaken Artie called Teddy a "faggot," esp. in reference to Teddy calling Bloomingdale's "Bloomie's." Correct me if I'm wrong, though, as they did not repeat the show yesterday and I wasn't able to get the second listen I craved.

Homophobia often emerges in his meltdowns; he's frequently disparaged High Pitch Mike, Richard, and Sal along those lines.

I'm a big fan of Artie on the show (unlike, surprisingly, a lot of commenters here), and feel his quick wit would really be missed. But he seems like a pretty miserable guy.

graduationfor all says:

Artie is the worst part of the show. It will be a refreshing change not to hear about herion addiction and overeating.

Ishai Lingan says:

I feel bad for artie but i do enjoy sucking on johnny farrto's cock on a daily basis.

juliev says:


It's not funny and it's not fun.

REPLAY the show already damn it!! This is what I got Sirius for!

jimmy says:

I can only figure that those of you above that do not love hearing Artie on the show but be women, fags, sensitive blacks, or just plain newspeak brain-washed morons.

Artie is not SENSITIVE. He is brutal and thrashing and careless. Many, neigh, MOST of us find that refreshing and a reminder of another time.

He is a fool, yes but he lives and talks bravely in a world where many don't get to say what is in their minds.

CWW says:

IMHO Artie used to bring a lot of good material to the show but his act had really gotten old and lately downright bitter. His late night talk show appearances contain the same old crap we hear on the show. I am so repulsed hearing Artie talk with his mouth stuffed full of food and the gang making light about the fat lard sleeping on the job. If Sal or Richard or anyone else on the show did that they would've been FIRED.

Good riddance you fat, bastard. WAAAAHHH I'll be a nobody again WAAAHHH!!!

Arties Favorite Herpes Laced Hooker says:

I gave him a present that will last forever.

Arties Favorite Herpes Laced Hooker says:

I gave him a present that will last forever.

Arties Favorite Herpes Laced Hooker says:

I gave him a present that will last forever.

howard now KING OF ALL CENSORSHIP says:

stern censors his show.. he did not allow the replay of the fat bloated glutton baby gorilla for 'legal reasons" even though it was all over the web on youtube etc

this is arties problem. artie was a longshoreman, dad fell off ladder and was paralyzed. artie felt guilty, artie got lucky on stern and made huge money, artie felt more and more guilty, artie did drugs to help him handle the guilt, arties lusts got so large he became a pig in everything he did, his standup was not funny and he made tons of money off stern fans coming to see him.. uh oh more guilt

epilogue... artie overdoses or has a heart attack...

Teddy says:

Bloomies Bloomies Bloomies Bloomies Bloomies Bloomies

Teddy says:

Bloomies Bloomies Bloomies Bloomies Bloomies Bloomies

artie lange says:

i wish you would all stop bitching...teddy is a f*ggot, howard is a queen, robin is a c*nt, and i am getting high in amsterdam right now at this internet cafe!

Evil Dave says:

Hey Artie

Fat, drunk, and stupid is no way to go through life son

Bob A. Booey says:

I did my bimonthly search for Artie Lange Dead on Google and was delighted to see this and many other stories about that fat shithead leaving the show... oh how great it is!!!

Sal and Richard are funnier than Artie says:

I honestly stopped listening the last 4 months because I got tired of Artie's B.S. so if this is true, i'll tune in again. Send him back to a bowling alley in Jersey where he belongs!

SR says:

If I ever find out the show is all scripted, I'm going to be really pissed

The timing of Artie leaving (right before vacation) is very suspicious.

I love the show, but if I'm just being toyed with I'm done.

SH says:

I still have Sirius but gave up on the Stern show a year ago. What an effing borefest.

The best part of the old show was celeb interviews. But since the move to Sirius they simply can't book a guest.

So the show has become the lot of them sitting around bitching about having to work and flaunting how they are spending their bloated salaries.

When Howard isn't bitching about having to work he's telling his audience how every idea in show business was his idea first and he's been ripped off...or he's creepily doting on his trophy wife...or he's not working at all.

Bitter much? Yeah, I am.

I was lured to Sirius with promises of an even better show, but Stern never mentioned that his show would pelt me with endless commercials for quality companies who want to sell me bees wax therapy or who offer convenient, online methods for cheating on my wife. Nor did Stern mention that he'd work 4 days a week. Or take 12 weeks of vacation a year.

If you listen to Stern tell it, the biggest triumph of the Sirius show was suing his old employer to get his old radio show tapes back, so he can endlessly play 15 year old radio programs while he's enjoying his endless days off.

In short, who the eff cares if Artie comes back. He's not living past 2010 anyway.


There, I said it.

artiehater says:

I am so glad to see this fat fuck of a drug addict finally gone! Artie has a mean streak about him that really shows the ugly side of him. Can't wait to read his obit.

Artie's Cupcake says:

damn artie I miss you.

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