Howard Stern Teases Contract Announcement With Cryptic Sopranos Ending

Howard Stern fans have been anxiously waiting to see where the radio giant will end up in 2021 and beyond. With his SiriusXM contract expiring at the end of December, and the latest reports indicating he's set to sign an incredibly-lucrative extension with the satellite radio service, Stern began to address the situation in the final minutes of his final show before taking vacation ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday.

However, instead of providing clarity on his future, Stern muddled the waters further, using the song from the final scene of The Sopranos as the backdrop to the most heartwrenching cliffhanger imaginable for his loyal listeners.

For those who don't know, Journey's "Don't Stop Believing" was the song playing during the final seconds of HBO's masterpiece. The series abruptly ends with the screen cutting to black at the word "stop," as main character, Tony Soprano, and his family sit in a diner booth as the song plays in the background. This year it was revealed by the creator that, as was speculated, the ending signified Tony Soprano being killed.

So does that mean Stern's show is ending? Does it mean he's leaving Sirius XM? Does it mean he'll never do radio again? The people want to know!

Bloomberg reported in early October that Stern was set to sign an extension with Sirius for $120 million a year. That's an insane number for anyone to turn down, but then again Stern is very rich already. What's another $120 million when you're reportedly worth over $650 million?

Regardless of his next move, this is, as Sports Illustrated's Jimmy Traina points out, a cruel way to leave your fans hanging ahead of the holidays. Then again, Stern has always known how to create headlines and talking points. This is just another genius way of doing just that. Case in point: this story.