Carnie Wilson: Howard Stern made me step on a scale to mock my weight on air

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I know Howard Stern has done or said a few things that aren’t totally horrible. In my life, I’ve agreed with some comments he’s made and when he likes someone, sometimes it can lead to a good interview. But that is as far I will go by way of praise for him. Granted, I am not a shock jock’s target audience but I won’t be defending Howard in the way he treated Carnie Wilson when she appeared on his show eight years ago. According to Carnie, nine weeks after she’s undergone gastric bypass surgery, Howard secretly weighed before her segment and then fat-shamed her on air.

Speaking out. Carnie Wilson spoke candidly about an upsetting experience she encountered on The Howard Stern Show during her Tuesday, November 8, appearance on The Talk.

She recalled: “When I walked in, the producer Gary said, ‘Step over here and wait for Howard.’ Well, I didn’t know this, but I was stepping on a scale. And I looked up and in red, big numbers, 233 lbs. showed up on this thing. I said, ‘Wait a minute?’ and I looked down and all I could think was ‘Howard, ready to shame me?’ They purposely did it.”

Wilson said that Stern, 63, made embarrassing comments about her weight and even questioned Rob Bonfiglio – who she was engaged to at the time – about being with someone her size.

“He went nuts, just because he loves to fat-shame, he does. You know the way Howard is, always glamouring up all these thin women. But this is what happened, I always get Howard by the cajones. I said, ‘You know what, you’re really a piece of …’ I gave it back to him. I said, ‘This man really loves me,” she added.

“And [Stern] said, ‘You know what, I adore you,’ because it’s all a joke to him. But it wasn’t to me.”

Regardless of the banter, both ended the interview saying that they loved one another.

[From Us]

To clarify, this is when Howard was on E! so his shows – and this secret weighing “joke” were shown on air. In the video of Carnie’s segment, you can see Sharon Osbourne shake her head as Carnie begins her story about being told where to stand. I read that as Sharon knowing exactly what had happened before Carnie said it aloud. You could almost her Sharon thinking, “oh that Howard.” No, that’s a d!ck move deserving of more than a head-shake.

As for the fat shaming comments, the first part of the interview is not as bad as it sounds. Most of Carnie’s gastric bypass surgery was performed live on the internet to shine the light on the health issues connected to morbid obesity. On Stern, she’d hoped to discuss the benefits of getting the surgery in addition to the whole process and recovery. But at one point, the interview turns; it turns quick and it turns ugly. Basically, Howard says that people at a certain weight cannot be attractive and that Carnie’s then-boyfriend, Rob, could not actually like her, so he must only be with her for her money and fame. But, like Carnie inferred, Howard is vicious in his questioning. At one point, he was talking about a woman who was, in his estimation, 25 pounds overweight, whom he had the opportunity to sleep with prior to his marriage. Carnie asked if she was beautiful and Howard’s response was, “who could tell? She was heavy.” You can listen to the audio here if you want to but honestly, it ruined my day. And Carnie sweetly saying, “I love you, Howard,” upset me. I understand she was trying to show him he hadn’t gotten to her but he was being so rude and mean.

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Photo credit: WENN Photos

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45 Responses to “Carnie Wilson: Howard Stern made me step on a scale to mock my weight on air”

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  1. huckle says:

    This is what he does. Who’s surprised?

    • Trillion says:

      What did she think would happen? If it were me, I’d expect him to mock my weight too and then I’d make fun of his small dick and he’d probably join in.

      • Lolo86lf says:

        Well, I doubt it he is going to pull his dick out to prove or disprove if his dick is small or big. On the other poor Carnie’s weight problem is obvious. It makes me upset that he tried to make fun of her.

    • queenE says:

      i guarantee she knew this going on. Fake outrage

      • jwoolman says:

        I doubt it. I can believe she was caught unaware with that nasty disguised scale trick.

        It really hurt because she had gone through a drastic procedure to deal with the issue. She thought Howard was actually interested in what she had to say. Maybe the real Howard would have been, but the TV show Howard wasn’t.

        The real Howard has always been better than the tv show Howard, and sometimes slips out. Trump was going on and on about his sexual exploits and asked Howard to talk about his affairs. Howard said he didn’t do that stuff, he was happily married and faithful to his wife. Trump was shocked…. But the real Howard still has some prejudices to work on.

        Howard really pegged it right with Trump, though. He told The Donald he shouldn’t run for President because he would be miserable. Trump wants to be loved and admired, and that’s not going to happen in the White House (or running thereto).

  2. minx says:

    Why go on his show in the first place? I’m not excusing him but he’s not known for his good taste.

    • tracking says:

      +1 She had to have known he would go there. That’s his schtick–embarrassing his guests as much as possible and they show they can roll with it. Why they choose to is beyond me.

    • Milla says:

      For reasons unknown, he is famous. I think he’s a pig, sth straight from Playboy mansion’s party.

  3. Natalia says:

    Carnie’s a beautiful woman. Inside and out.

  4. Southern belle says:

    I weigh around 210, my husband 160 and he adores me. I also still get hit on despite being married, so yeah he can go f*ck himself. Some men aren’t as shallow as him and I find him extremely unattractive.

  5. Alleycat says:

    Most men honestly believe that they should have the most attractive women at their leisure, despite how attractive/unattractive THEY are. They cat call, then shame us if we reject them. That we are theirs to mock how they see fit. I’ll always think of that director’s son who went on a shooting spree at a sorority house because some of the girls rejected him.

  6. Lolo86lf says:

    Howard Stern also said about Sam Smith “He is gay, fat and ugly.” So Stern loves to put people down because of their weight. Carnie should have never gone to his show. If Stern thinks calling people fat is going to enrich the quality of their lives he is so mistaken.

  7. gobo says:

    She went on a Howard Stern show and expected him to be nice to her?

  8. Elysium1973 says:

    I’ve been a Howard Stern fan since 1994 and I’m not his “target audience”. I’m a 44 year old bisexual white woman. Has he done some things I’ve disagreed with? Of course. But he’s actually changed a lot in the last several years (to the chagrin of a lot of his old fans, who are mostly straight white guys) and has gotten more vocal in his support for gay rights (the entire month of October this year was dubbed “cocktober” and they did a bunch of bits that were gay friendly, to say the least, including having openly gay actor and frequent guest George Takei judge who had the best “cock”) and women’s rights (very outspoken about being pro choice). He was a Hillary supporter and he’s gotten a lot of shit from the deplorables (target audience) about not being more pro-Dump (who Howard was friendly with, but was never good friends with). I think it’s a bit sad that this woman has so little going on that she’s recounting a story from EIGHT YEARS AGO. Howard isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but I’m not going to watch him get dragged for this nonsense.

    • Christine says:

      Thank you! I’ve been listening since ’94 also and 44 year old woman. Gimme a break. Carnie is being silly. She knew where she was going, she stayed, and still said I love you Howard.

      • janetdr says:

        I listened for awhile years ago when he was in regular radio. I did so because I had found myself pontificating about Howard and Rush* based on things I had read and stopped myself mid sentence because I realized that I didn’t really know. Howard can be awful and disgusting. He can also be very funny. I found that I enjoyed (and often agreed with) his take on the news. I couldn’t get through 15 minutes of Rush Limbaugh…
        *there was a cover story on Time magazine featuring the two of them basically frothing at the mouth.

    • severin88 says:

      ^^^THIS^^^ Thank you Elysium1973. He has never hidden how ridiculous he can be sometimes. Ain’t no secret, she should have gone on another show.

      • Elysium1973 says:

        Nice to find fellow Stern fans on CB! Never thought that would happen, to be honest. And there’s no one who’s more self loathing and self deprecating than Howard Stern, who clowns on the size of his small penis, how he looks like a scarecrow, his appearance in general, and pretty much everything else you can imagine. He’s so insecure and he makes no secret of that, which I find endearing. There’s a lot of people who have watched five minutes of his E! show from fifteen years ago and think they know everything about him. Pathetic.

    • rahrahroey says:

      I agree. I love Howard. Of course he can be a complete dick but a lot of issues he’s dead on about. He’s a very flawed person and he doesn’t hide it. And that is part of what draws me to him. And I am also by no means his “target audience” a chubby, first generation immigrant, liberal AF, Latina woman, lol. Been listening for 17 years now.

    • Escaped Convent says:

      That’s okay. There are lots of other things he can be dragged for.

    • RottenFlower says:

      Hello, fellow Stern fans! Nice to see you here. Have a bababooey weekend, and make sure to hit ’em with the Hein.

  9. KP says:

    I weigh 300 lbs and guess what? Random strangers stop to tell me I’m beautiful and men hit on me regularly. But! This shit and mentality still hurts. There are very many times where I fell as if I’m ‘taking up too much space’ for someone, as if my presence is not allowed because of my weight. It’s not ok.

    • magnoliarose says:

      They tell you because you are beautiful. I have no doubts.
      As my grandmother says to my little cousin, who gets teased. “Shayna Maidel (Pretty one) they are just jealous that God loves you so much he blessed us with more of you to love.” or she tells her she is so special she needs a little more room for her all her good qualities.
      She feels all of her grandchildren are the best most beautiful and greatest at every single thing. There are no “shortcomings” or “flaws” they are turned into gifts that are unique.

      Own your space. It is yours.

  10. Escaped Convent says:

    I’d like to know what she expected, going on that vile creature’s show. He’s known for fat-shaming. And he’s friends with Trump. They must have whiled away many a languid hour talking about how fat women are.

    I recall Anna Nicole Smith going on his show when her show was on E! All he wanted to know was how much she weighed. He wanted her to get on a scale, there in the studio. She kept saying no and got upset and he didn’t care that she was upset. He kept on badgering her, and basically brought the whole show to a screeching halt because all that mattered to him was how much she weighed. She finally said “F*ck you, Howard” and walked out.

    • Elysium1973 says:

      So you listen to his show every day then, right? You know he’s friends with Trump? Based on what, exactly? Because I actually listen to his show EVERY DAY and I can tell you that he isn’t friends with Dump. He’s said as much on multiple occasions. He said he was an entertaining guest because Dump had absolutely NO FILTER and would make outrageous comments (like the comment about how he would “date” his daughter Ivanka if she wasn’t his daughter) and it was good radio. He absolutely NEVER supported Dump politically and said on many, many occasions that he was a Hillary supporter (he even supported her in the 2008 primaries) and had given money to her campaign in 2008 and 2016.

      • Escaped Convent says:

        Hell no, I don’t listen to his show. God. I am aware of all that and I know he supported Hillary. That’s nice.

        I base his being friends (or if you prefer, “friendly”) with Trump on things he said during Dump’s campaign. I read quotes by Stern in which he said that he hoped he didn’t win the election because it would be terrible for his mental health. He thought it might unravel Dump, and since he liked him and they were friendly, he was concerned for him.

        I would expect him to say they’re not friends now. And maybe now, they’re not. To me, it makes no difference.

  11. BJ says:

    She was on The Talk not The View.
    Also she was talking about something that happened years ago because they were talking about the hosts’ experiences.As part of the show a guest reporter will discuss a topic or situation and ask,”Has anything like this EVER happened to anyone here?” Last week Julie talked about being mocked about having “Asian eyes” when she was in elementary school.

  12. Littlestar says:

    I mean…Howard Stern must know he’s not conventionally attractive and that it’s his money and fame that help him out in the attracting women department, so I don’t know that he’s the one to say much about Carnie’s money being a factor in a relationship. Of course he’s pandering to an audience (and society) that hold women to a different standard than men.

  13. MoochieLady says:

    What? Why is Howard getting a pass for picking on her weight? If he always does it, then why isn’t he canceled? I don’t care who he voted for or who he hates, he’s a jerk who always does this. Just like Trump. Women who don’t fit his idea of attractiveness are treated less then.
    If this was a woman everyone here would be calling her out, regardless of who she voted for, this behavior is disgusting.
    I don’t care if he changed or not.
    This behavior is not cool.

    • noway says:

      Howard Stern does this all for show!!! Most of these bits are the most outrageous crazy things people say, and this was 8 years ago so it might not go over as well today. I wouldn’t believe he believes all or any of them. I know people in both NY and DC who have worked for him, and he is very different than his show persona. People who met him off air are often very surprised as he is so different. Not saying we should defend or listen to his show, but it is a bit different when it’s a show, not politics or real life.

      Funny thing he was one of the reasons, I thought, hoped and prayed Trump wouldn’t be as bad as his rhetoric, because most of what Trump does is for show too. Not to be though, because Trump actually believes all the garbage he spews.

  14. Pandy says:

    My husband (then boyfriend) used to listen to him in the car. I shut that down! Believe me when I tell you I’m not a my way kind of woman … but when it came to his misogyny, real or feigned, I just couldn’t give him a pass on “entertainment” grounds. He stopped listening. He checked in a few years later and found him really distasteful.

  15. moo says:

    No one can “make” anyone do anything. The only person controlling your mind and body IS YOU! So, she should’ve handled it differently… like don’t go on the show, or tell him NO.

    • Jenny says:

      @moo Exactly what I thought. How can anyone force you to step on a scale? Unless he held a gun to her head I think she has herself to blame entirely for the humiliation of going along with that and stepping on that scale. So tired of people who don’t take personal responsibility for their own choices. The most important thing in life is NOT your career or fame or chasing status, it’s how you treat yourself as well as your fellow human beings.

      • SallyS says:

        Did you miss this part? “Well, I didn’t know this, but I was stepping on a scale.” Sometimes they’re hidden. She didn’t know she was stepping on a scale.

  16. Kath says:

    Stern is the guy who ‘made fun’ of the fact that a beauty contestant’s mother had just died of cancer – and tormented her about it over and over again until she actually passed out in distress.

    So, yeah, f*ck him. I do not understand this repulsive creature’s appeal or the fact that he has “fans” of any kind.

  17. Cleo says:

    Sorry not okay.

  18. Helen Smith says:

    Simply tell Howard to go eff himself. He will be pissed but he will grudgingly respect you for it.

  19. SallyS says:

    I think only those with lower morals and standards would listen to him. I think of ‘Stockholme syndrome’ when I hear of any woman that is a fan of him. He is a vile pig, maybe worse than Trump. And any woman who listens to him every day lacks self respect and a moral compass. NO *WONDER* Trump got elected, with such ‘women’ who lack self respect.

  20. Coqui says:

    His long term marriage fell apart after he mocked his wife’s miscarriage. He’s a turd.

  21. magnoliarose says:

    Sewer humor based on shaming and hurting is punching way down and not funny. They say he is different from who he is on air and I have heard that often. Since he is mostly known for his on-air personality that doesn’t seem like an important piece of trivia.