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I will admit i was confused on the timeline. In 2004, Anthony went on a rant about how fuckable his daughter was and a month later the first gag order was issued. Then 3 years later the play was played and not even a month later another gag order came. I always assumed it was the jingleball shit that got them the second gag order.Totally disagree. This was the biggest attack on Howard in his entire career and still has effects on his personal life. This was something that the bosses warned O&A about repeatedly when the companies merged. Howard had lawyers looking to sue O&A for harassment and all sorts of other nonsense when this first happened. Like getting restraining orders against them for his daughters and family. He also was livid for years over this. I know a few people from Sirius speculated that the real reason Opie was fired for the Roland bathroom photo was actually Stern wanting him fired over the whole 'vagina play' incident as it still upset him. And so if O&A ever crossed the line the bosses would fire them as Howard's people were running the company by then. Everyone remembers this one from both camps.
This was easily the biggest shot fired between both Stern and O&A. This hurt Stern more than his gag orders hurt O&A and probably more than even Anthony and Opie being fired by Sirius hurt. This also allegedly caused a massive rift between Howard's daughter and him and possibly another one of his daughters. O&A got involved in his personal life in a way that he never imagined could be possible by basically turning his children again him. It was also heavily rumored that Howard didn't even know that his daughter was involved in this play and that O&A were the ones who broke the news to him. Which was hilarious.
I don’t disagree with this, but more so question it. O&A played Stern audio MANY times after the merger and the gag order. Between the Play gag order and the merger, O&A played audio of Howie on Letterman, his CBS lawsuit, audio of him inventing he claimed the merger, even his wife on the View. After the merger? They played audio of him on the red carpet of Sex and the City, the Kitten audio, Howard on his show talking about how there was no one to fight anymore, they even revealed Marci Turk for those who weren’t aware. I think it speaks more so that there was a SPECIFIC gag order on what they could do with Stern rather than a cover all bases “don’t talk about him at all.”I would almost guarantee that them playing the 'vagina' play audio and ripping on Stern got under Howard's skin more than anything from anyone in his entire life. When the two companies merged Howard immediately had O&A put under another gag order and cease and desist type clause so that they could not use his audio. Ever wonder why Stern was never Jocktobered? O&A were not legally allowed to play his audio. They almost got suspended for playing audio of him talking about adopting kittens once after the merger and management and lawyers called them into the office to remind them of the rules.
This is like a fourth hand source. Beigefrequency relays audio from a Howard interview where someone asks Howard if the gag orders were true. He confirms it is. When the interviewer asks him if this is hypocritical, Stern answers forebadem: “Maybe. But who cares? I win.”Howard was always terrified of O&A. Hence the gag orders and refusing to allow CBS to put the shows head to head in any market. But this was basically something that went beyond radio battles in a way that Howard never imagined would have been possible.
I don’t know if you’re being literal but to me Howard looks way worse in what he is now over what he did back then. Theres nothing more insulting than playing an anti-corporate guy for 20 years then giving all that up and saying you’ve never said “nigger” before.Nothing has ever made Howard look worse than his gag orders and lawyers when it comes to the radio wars and him being this edgy jock.