It Took Howard Stern 20 Years to Apologize for DeBella “Funeral”
For those of us who remember when Twitter was called “the radio,” one of the more interesting bits in the Daily News‘s bittersweet nostalgia tour of WMGK morning host John DeBella’s 3o years on the air is the story of how Howard Stern came to apologize for his relentless mockery of the local host in the late ’80s and the Rittenhouse Square funeral Stern put on after knocking DeBella from his number-one ratings perch:
It wasn’t until relatively recently that Stern apologized for his behavior. Stern’s Sirius satellite radio program produced a second installment of its “History of Howard Stern” series of specials, and DeBella was invited to offer his recollections.
“After that was over and done with, I come home one day and there’s this message on my phone, and it’s Howard,” DeBella recalled. “And he says, ‘You know what, I can’t thank you enough for being part of this. I could have never done this. You are a bigger man than I could ever be and, looking back, I’m ashamed of what I’ve done.
“You are one of the strongest human beings I have ever encountered.'”
Praise John, and may he remain among us forever:
