The Untold Truth Of Beth Stern
Most people recognize Beth Stern as the wife of radio personality Howard Stern. But there's more to this True Beauty judge than what the Sirius XM host has revealed to his listeners throughout the years. After tying the knot with the shock jock host in October 2008, the former model — who has made FHM's "Top 100 Sexiest Women of the Year" on four separate occasions — is a multi-faceted public figure.
She has done it all, from acting alongside Ben Stiller in the film Flirting with Disaster to co-authoring two New York Times bestsellers, including 2014's Yoda: The Story of a Cat and His Kittens. So, you see, she's much more than just the wife of a high-profile celebrity. She's a star in her own right, as well as a staunch animal lover who's made it her mission to lend her time to various advocacies, including the Wildlife Rescue Center of the Hamptons and the North Shore Animal League America.
From her fitness obsession to her love of her husband's modest manhood, here's the untold truth of Beth Stern.
Kitty delivery at your service
One scroll through her Instagram account and it's obvious Beth Stern has a thing for animals — cats, in particular. During an interview with Architectural Digest, she described how she has put in countless years of volunteering at a no-kill shelter called North Shore Animal League America.
Her love and devotion to furry friends caught the attention of the Hallmark Channel in 2018 when she was asked to host their annual Kitten Bowl. The event, which is held on Super Bowl Sunday, is a mock football game featuring rescued kittens that are up for adoption.
She has also dedicated her entire social media account to helping adorable kittens find loving homes. "I get hundreds of emails a day and personally read every one," she told Parade magazine, before adding that, if someone is approved for adoption, she personally delivers the kitten to their new home. "I have flown kittens to Florida, and just last week I made the seven-hour drive to Pittsburgh." Now that's what we call unwavering commitment!
She has fostered over 500 kittens
Stern told Time magazine's Money in October 2017 that, after seeing so many cats trapped in their cages at high-kill shelters, she sprung into action, fostering kittens until they were adopted and turning her apartment into a kitty hotel of sorts.
She also talked to Architectural Digest about how she converted a guest bedroom in one of her homes into the perfect kitty paradise. "It was super sunny, and I have screens on the windows to let fresh air in — I think fresh air is really important. I lifted the area rug so its [sic] just wood floors. I lined the whole back wall with wee-wee pads and litter boxes," she said, describing the setup.
Since her first foray into fostering back in 2013, Stern said she hasn't "stopped since." Out of the 500 kittens that have stayed in her home since the aforementioned Architectural Digest interview, she was proud to announce that they had "found homes for all of them," saving them from being euthanized in the process.
From sugar addict to marathon runner
Stern spoke to FabFitFun about battling a sugar addiction while living in Europe. "I was younger then and it was OK to do that, but as I've gotten older — and as I was training for the marathon — I realized that a bag of gummy bears and a box of chocolate wasn't going to properly fuel me for 26.2 miles," she told the website (via Daily Mail).
After participating in the NYC marathon, Stern told Us Weekly that she now runs 25 miles per week. Though she maintains a strenuous workout, she doesn't think it's enough to keep her body in in tip-top shape. "I still worry about my diet," she told the gossip rag. "I don't eat any sweets — I do eat big pasta dinners, though!"
After cutting out sugar following her first 2008 marathon, she loved the changes she saw in her body, which convinced her to never fall victim to her bad habit ever again. "I don't miss [eating sugar] at all so it's been a really good thing," she proclaimed.
Her favorite hobby includes collecting garbage
When she's not giving love and attention to her fostered cats, Beth Stern is out saving the world. Well, not really. But she does put forth a concerted effort to do her part to help the environment whenever she visits her Southampton, N.Y. home with her husband.
The animal lover told Us Weekly that during the warm, summer months, she and Howard love to take morning walks on the beach. But they're not gazing into each other's eyes, whispering sweet nothings into each other's ears and watching the sunrise. No, no, no. They're getting down and dirty. "We always take walks and fill trash bags with balloons and bottles that have fallen on the beach," she said. "That's our favorite thing to do, to see who can collect more."
So not only is Stern a proponent of finding homes for homeless pets, but she's also saving the environment in her free time. Kudos to her!
She stands up for Howard's shortcomings
After her husband mentioned that he's working with three inches below the belt, the True Beauty judge spoke to Access Hollywood Live and stood by her man's shortcomings. Though she would neither confirm nor deny his size — or lack thereof — she had this to say: "He does that to himself he always talks about [his manhood] ... It keeps me very happy, his penis. How's that for you?!"
But she appeared to change her tune on an episode of Watch What Happens Live! when host Andy Cohen brought up Howard's package, asking Stern if it was as small as the radio host says or "is it just for show?" Stern replied matter of factly, saying, "I'm ruining him right now, no, it's rather large ... I said it. He's going to kill me ... I'm spilling the beans. It's large. It's really large. I'm blushing."
She shouldn't have to defend her man's body parts because, frankly, it's no one's business. But she did insist Howard had been "lying" about his size all along. His listeners would probably find this hard to believe, considering how blunt and honest he's been throughout his career.
Whether she's telling the truth or just trying to save face, we do admire how she has his back, front, and everything in between!
She's an early bird
She may not be the one who's on satellite radio at the crack of dawn, but Beth Stern still makes a habit out of rising early. "We wake up at 5 a.m. every day whether Howard has to get up for his radio show or not," she told Closer Weekly.
On the weekends, they usually head out to their Southampton, N.Y. home, and, as soon as they rise, they hit the beach. "We take a large garbage bag and fill it with balloons on the beach that have fallen from the sky," she said before revealing the next part of their morning routine. "We both practice Transcendental Meditation, so that takes up 20 minutes in the morning and 20 minutes in the afternoon."
She's also a huge coffee drinker, and she shared in an Instagram post how "heartbreaking" it was that her husband was a java-making novice. But it's okay because what he lacks in his coffee-making skills, he makes up for with his love for animals. Part of their daily routine includes Howard giving each cat special attention, something Stern thinks is super romantic, BTW.
When 9 p.m. hits, it's lights off, and she and her husband are in bed, surrounded by a bunch of adorable, snuggly kitties.
She bashed the Kardashians, fur real
Given how much Beth Stern adores animals, it's not shocking that she's also strongly against wearing fur. When she was asked how she felt about PETA speaking out about Kim Kardashian's affinity for wearing fur, Stern told the Huffington Post, "It makes me really sad."
Stern mentioned that she doesn't watch Keeping Up With the Kardashians, but she knew that the reality star's sister Khloe was a "poster child for PETA" at one point. "I'm very aware of [the Kardashians], but I do know that the sister was involved [with PETA], so of course that entire family would know what goes on, what happens to animals when they're wearing a fur coat," Stern explained. "So I just don't understand someone in the public eye that a lot of girls love and adore who would continue to wear fur when you can buy fake fur that I think looks just fine."
Though Stern didn't want to pass any judgement, she ended her statement by saying, "But it just really makes my skin crawl when I see anybody wear fur, not just them."
Her mom 'rushed to church' when she learned about her relationship
Her brothers and father were a huge fan of her husband 's crass and rather vulgar radio show while growing up. Stern, on the other hand, never listened to Howard's show prior to meeting him, and her mom, who Stern described as a "devout Catholic," didn't tune in either.
After meeting Howard at a dinner party for the first time, the former model rushed home to call her mom and, as she recounted to the Huffington Post, told her, "I met the man I'm gonna spend the rest of my life with."
But mom wasn't happy ... at all! "She literally hung up the phone on me and didn't talk to me for two weeks and rushed to church," Stern said.
Two weeks later, Stern invited her mom to New York to meet the boorish radio personality and, lo and behold, the tides changed. Stern said it's been a "love fest" between her mom and Howard ever since!
A reality TV fanatic
Even though she scoffed at the Kardashians and admitted she has never tuned in to their E! series, Keeping Up With the Kardashians, Beth Stern is a huge fan of other reality TV programs. In an interview with the Huffington Post, she rattled off a list of some of her favorite shows, which included The Bachelor and Locked Up Abroad.
But she's not glued to the tube, soaking up the non-stop drama reality TV is known for, all by her lonesome. Her husband is right by her side. "We watch [The Real Housewives of New York] — wow, really deep viewing, huh? Oh, and 60 Minutes," she revealed. "That balances it out."
Knowing how fond she is of reality television has us itching for Stern, her husband, and their cuddly kittens to star in their own show. We can't be the only ones who want to see this happen, can we?