Why Did Futurama's Billy West Leave The Howard Stern Show?
Younger fans may not be aware of it, but legendary voice actor Billy West, best known for his work on "Futurama," "Ren & Stimpy," and the long-running talking M&Ms ad campaign, in addition to countless other projects, was once a member of Howard Stern's talk radio ensemble.
West's first claim to fame was as a part of the 1980s incarnation of "The Howard Stern Show" on WXRK in New York City. In an interview with Comics Beat, West even credited his association with Stern with his being cast in the roles of Bugs Bunny (pretty much the role of a lifetime for any voice actor) and Elmer Fudd in "Space Jam." "I was working in radio in New York," West recalled. "This was after I had done 'Ren & Stimpy' and 'Doug.' I was working on 'The Howard Stern Show' and Ivan Reitman was producing his film 'Private Parts.' Ivan was also getting ready to cast for 'Space Jam.' He got a load of me in the studio and asked if I would audition and I said, 'Yeah.' So he gave me the parts of Bugs and Elmer."
Unfortunately for fans of West's bravura vocal impressions and characters, West's stint with Howard Stern eventually collapsed, reportedly due to botched contract negotiations that caused a seemingly permanent rift between the two performers.
Billy West won't talk to Howard Stern now for reasons that seem linked to his contract dispute
The rift between Billy West and Howard Stern is somewhat shrouded in mystery, but most Stern fans seem to agree that it has to do with West's failed contract negotiations with Infinity Broadcasting in 1995. West was angling to be better compensated due to the popularity of "The Howard Stern Show," but evidently wasn't able to come to terms with the company. Legend has it that West blames Stern for not backing him up during the process.
Stern fansite MarksFriggin.com has a brief capsule on West's departure from the show: "Billy left the show in 1995 after failed contract negotiations with Infinity Broadcasting (Howard's Employer, now CBS Broadcasting)." Then, in 2001, Stern purportedly commented on West's departure himself, announcing he'd tried to reach West to get him to come back on a short-term basis but was told by West's wife that West "only moves forward" in his career and wasn't interested in returning to Stern's stable, even for just a few episodes.
As for West himself, he has only discussed the situation sparingly since his exit, but in one fabled episode of "Jackie's Joke Hunt" by Jackie "Joke Man" Martling in 2009, West purportedly appeared and pledged to one day write a book on his feud with Stern. While that was probably a joke, there are plenty of fans out there who would happily read such a book if it were ever published. However, West never returned to Stern's show, and the grudge, as of this writing, remains unhealed.