Whenever someone leaves The Howard Stern Show, fans start with their conspiracy theories. With all the talk about the behind-the-scenes dealings at the iconic SiriusXM radio show, it's bound to happen. Given the fact that Howard and his gaggle of well-paid staffers are notoriously transparent on-air, it makes sense that fans would want to know about the few things they don't hear about. It doesn't help that Howard almost never talks about anyone who has quit or been fired from the show. Even though he has a very specific reason for this, the question inevitably arises when a fan favorite staffer vanishes.

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Recently, there have been a number of major staff exits including that of Shuli Egar. But prior to Shuli leaving the show, his on-air nemesis, Brent Hatley mysteriously disappeared. One day he was on the show, and the next day he wasn't, nor was he ever spoken of again. So, why did Brent leave the show? Was he fired? Was he so unhappy with what was really going on that he quit? Or is there another reason why we no longer get to hear his highly entertaining, slightly perverted, know-it-all on-air persona?

Was Brent Hatley Fired Or Did He Quit The Stern Show?

After Brent's departure announcement in the spring of 2020, fans took to Twitter, Instagram, and Reddit, to claim that Brent was fired. Addionally, they claimed that he was deeply unhappy with the fact that his marriage was so often brought up on the show. This includes his swinging lifestyle and the fact that the man his wife hooked up with during their marriage was invited on the show numerous times. So, what's the truth of the matter?

Let's get one thing straight, Brent Hatley wasn't fired. According to his eye-opening interview with ST Weekly on Youtube, Brent claims that he wouldn't even have been allowed to legally claim that he wasn't fired if he was in fact fired.

"If you know anything about corporate exiting agreements... it would cost me a s*** ton of money if I went out there if I was fired and said 'I wasn't fired'," Brent explained. "I wasn't [fired]. I have no ill-will towards SiriusXM. They have no ill-will towards me. Same with The Stern Show."

So, if Brent wasn't fired, why on Earth would he want to leave one of the most successful shows in the world. One that had made him a star in his own right and made him some decent money. Well, it seems as though the reason that he left the show is quite similar to the reason that Shuli Egar wanted out... New York City. The Big Apple has always been the ancestral home of The Stern Show. However, due to the global pandemic, it's currently being broadcast from Howard's basement, and everyone's respected home offices. So, like Shuli, and millions of other people, Brent reevaluated his home life due to been stuck there for so long.

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"I just wanted out of New York. I wanted out of the cold. I wanted to do my own thing [creatively]. And I wanted to move back into the tropics."

Brent went on to explain that he really only wanted to live in one of three places, Tampa Bay area, New Orleans, or Venice Beach/Santa Monica in California.

As soon as Brent got Sirius and The Stern Show to sign his contract termination agreement in early March 2020, he swiftly moved out of New York in under two weeks' time. Brent has stated that the worsening of the pandemic was a factor in the speed of his departure from the city.

Has The Departure Ruined Brent And Howard's Relationship?

Fans all over the internet, including the host of ST Weekly who was interviewing Brent, seem to think that Howard is straight-up furious with Brent for leaving the show. The fact that he won't mention Brent's name on the air is also something that fuels these rumors. But anyone who knows Howard's creative process knows that he doesn't want to talk about past staffers as he wants to keep fans focused on what's currently happening on the show. Most importantly, Brent says his departure was met with a very gracious conversation with Howard and that the two of them hold each other in high regard.

Sorry, haters, Brent still loves Howard, as do most of his ex-staffers. Just not the loud, bitter ones.

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"When I left there was contact with him and he could not have been nicer. I wish I could get on here and read you the note that he sent me and the not I sent him," Brent explained to the host of ST Weekly who was clearly trying to get some negative dirt on Howard. "As a human being, he's a sweet human being. I love him and [his wife] Beth as people. They are great people."

On top of this, Brent said that he keeps in contact with almost everybody on The Stern Show staff as they are his friends. It's clear that Brent wanted to go do his own thing creatively and, most importantly, wanted to get the heck out of New York City.

Next: The Truth About Howard Stern's Relationship With Norm Macdonald