Howard Stern unloads on “shithead” Lorde for canceling Israel concert
Photo of Lorde by Philip Cosores
While more than 100 prominent musicians, actors, and writers lauded Lorde’s recent decision to cancel a concert in Israel, she’s certainly drawn her fair share of critics, most notable among them Rabbi Shmuley Boteach and comedian Roseanne Barr. Now we can add shock jock Howard Stern to that list, who unloaded on the pop singer on his SiriusXM satellite radio show last week.
Calling the 21-year old pop star a “shithead,” Stern and his co-hosts criticized Lorde’s decision to cancel a concert in Tel Aviv while still performing in Russia, a country he says is “planting all kinds of problems around the world, all kinds of terrorism.”
“She has no problem with Russia,” he continued. “The only place in the world where she can’t play is Israel. So what do you think’s going on? What’s the one thing about Israel that’s different than all other places. There’s Jews there…I hope Lorde has a good time in Russia.”
Artists including Roger Waters, Thurston Moore, TV on the Radio’s Tunde Adebimpe, and more have led what they call a cultural boycott of Israel over the country’s treatment of Palestine, citing state surveillance of social media and the expansion of illegal settlements. Lorde was also urged by an open letter in New Zealand publication The Spinoff to cancel the show, with the activists behind it explaining that “[playing] in Tel Aviv will be seen as giving support to the policies of the Israeli government, even if you make no comment on the political situation.”
Stern was also critical of Waters, calling him “a fucking moron.” Later, he took calls from listeners, some of whom defended Lorde’s decision while others, including “Lorde’s number one fan in Israel,” implored her to reconsider her decision.
Listen to all of it below.
