Howard Stern wasn't afraid to speak candidly about his complicated relationship with legendary comedian Gilbert Gottfried. He was one of the many celebrities to extend their condolences a day after Gilbert's tragic passing at the early age of 67. Fans of The Howard Stern Show were waiting to hear what the self-proclaimed King Of All Media would say about the brash comic. But not just because Howard has a knack for touching celebrity eulogies...

Gilbert Gottfried appeared on The Howard Stern Show a whopping 122 times, more than just about any other star. His segments were edgy, offensive, and downright hilarious. They built Gilbert a dedicated fanbase that was completely different than the mainstream who knew him best from his voice work in Disney's Aladdin.

But then Gilbert's appearances stopped.

This led fans to believe Howard had secretly banned him from the SiriusXM radio show. While the details of the alleged ban are still cloudy, Howard recently shed light on his tricky relationship with the "strange" comedian.

Howard Stern's Complicated Relationship With Gilbert Gottfried

Howard Stern really only knew Gilbert Gottfried from the radio show. Their personal connection was limited to two interactions. The first was a run-in outside a fancy restaurant in New York City with their wives. Howard described this interaction as "awkward". During his eulogy for the comic on his April 13th episode of his radio show, Howard stated that Gilbert acted as if he didn't know who he was. He was uncomfortable. Distant. And not all that friendly. This was despite the fact that the two had laughed for hours on-air together...

But Gilbert was peculiar in that way. He was unlike any other person...

Gilbert dropped out of high school at the age of 15 to pursue a career in stand-up. His really unusual approach to comedy got him booked on Saturday Night Live, an experience he claims to have hated. Soon after, with the help of appearances on The Stern Show, Gilbert became a stand-up's stand-up. While audiences didn't always get him, other comedians did.

Gilbert took risks and simply didn't care if people laughed at his material. He loved to push buttons and relentlessly make himself laugh, especially if it annoyed everyone around him. His humor was warped and brutal. This made him perfect for the Comedy Central Roasts, The Gathering Of The Juggalos, and certain stand-up stages.

Related: The Truth About Gilbert Gottfried's Net Worth And How Much He Made On Cameo

There's no doubt that Gilbert's iconic voice helped him get cast in numerous animated projects, most notably Aladdin and Family Guy. It also got him the Aflac duck... which he eventually got fired from.

Gilbert couldn't keep a job for long. His peculiar personality got in the way. He wasn't mean, he wasn't a bully, and, in fact, he was actually very soft-spoken outside of his act... But he was hilariously weird.

In his eulogy, Howard described Gilbert as "strange", and used the run-in outside the restaurant as an example. But his second personal interaction was even stranger...

Howard Stern Visited Gilbert Gottfried In The Hospital

Gilbert had many legendary appearances on The Howard Stern Show. He loved to sit in on the news segments and make fun of the most horrendous things going on in the world. Then there were all of his Jerry Seinfeld imitations, and his Dracula and Rabbi Gottfried characters. But beyond his 122 appearances on the show, he didn't have much of a relationship with Howard Stern.

And yet, Gilbert asked Howard to visit him in the hospital.

Howard didn't know Gilbert was dying until hours before his passing on April 12th, 2022. This is because he hadn't spoken to Gilbert for years. But back when Gilbert was still on the show, he had another health scare. After his appendix burst, Gilbert literally thought he was dying. So, he asked Howard to visit him in the hospital.

Related: The Truth About Bob Saget And Gilbert Gottfried's Warped Friendship

Howard claims to have been one of the only people (aside from Gilbert's mother and sister) to visit. This was before Gilbert got married and had kids with Dara Kravitz. Gilbert even had Howard bring him clothes and medicine. And he never thanked him. Instead, Gilbert mocked Howard's hospital disguise in his autobiography, "Rubber Balls And Liquor". Howard didn't take this personally, however. In fact, he thought it was funny. But it proved that Gilbert was a very different type of guy. Always going for the joke and always hiding his sincere feelings.

Gilbert played by his own rules, which made it hard for anyone to produce him. This includes Howard, who stated that Gilbert was one of the most naturally brilliant comic minds ever. He wanted to capitalize on that. He wanted to produce him on his radio show and help his career. But when you told Gilbert what to do, he'd always do the opposite...

Was Gilbert Gottfried Banned From The Howard Stern Show?

The fact that Gilbert played by his own rules may have been the reason he was banned from The Howard Stern Show.

Howard has kept quiet about why he never had Gilbert back on his radio show after the early 2010s. Even in his 2022 eulogy, Howard dodged the topic when confronted by a caller. But Gilbert himself has stated that he was banned from The Stern Show. And fans believe it had to do with the 'cupcake incident'.

Despite being told not to mess with the food at SiriusXM, Gilbert preceded to spit on all the staffer's cupcakes for a behind-the-scenes segment on The Stern Show. Gilbert clearly thought this was funny, but Howard was irate.

The next morning, Howard told his audience how disgusted he was by Gilbert's behavior. He thought it was a health hazard and felt bad for the janitorial staff who had to come in and disinfect everything that Gilbert spat on. The comedian clearly thought he was being funny, but it crossed a line in Howard's book. While neither star has confirmed that this is the reason why Gilbert was never asked to return to the show, it seems as though it was his final appearance.

Next: How Howard Stern Really Felt About Bob Saget