Corey Feldman Says Howard Stern Kicked Him When He Was Down

There aren’t too many tears being shed over the potential end of The Howard Stern Show when his contract comes to an end. While his later career included a pivot to fewer shock-jock take-downs of celebrities and more soft centrist political takes, those he interviewed in his heyday haven’t forgiven or forgotten how Stern became a household name. 

One of the many people still holding a grudge is Corey Feldman, best known for his roles in ‘80s cult hits like The Goonies, Stand By Me and The Lost Boys. As a child actor during a decade known for its hard drugs and rampant sexual abuse, Feldman’s life has been rife with tragedy, controversy and substance abuse. 

On Monday, Feldman reacted to a post on X from a political commentary account that went viral. The post and following thread detailed Diff’rent Strokes star Dana Plato’s May 1999 appearance on The Howard Stern Show. “She was raw, emotional and clearly struggling, trying to claw her way back from years of addiction, poverty and tabloid ridicule,” the post detailed. “She told Stern she was sober and doing her best.”

The post went on to recount the history: Plato appeared on The Howard Stern show on May 7, 1999. She died of an overdose on May 8, 1999. “Howard Stern didn’t kill Dana Plato, just to be clear,” the post continued. “But he kicked her while she was down, on one of the most humiliating public stages imaginable. Howard Stern took a vulnerable, broken woman and made her pain into a performance. Because it got laughs. Because it got ratings.”

This sentiment clearly resonated with Feldman. “Thank u 4 posting all of this! I concur I am 1 of those recovering addicts Stern kicked in the head @ 19 years old,” Feldman wrote. “...Thanx Howard! U made my struggle so much harder!”

In a response to another post, Feldman continued: “I was a kid trying 2 build my life after rehab recovering from being a drug addict due 2 my pedophile drugging me B4 abusing me. So he jumped in 2 beat me back down, & make sure my single was seen as a Joke instead of a hit.”

This isn’t the first time that Feldman has brought up the experience of performing on Stern’s show. In 2024, he appeared on Howie Mandel’s show to discuss it as well, attributing Stern’s mockery to the failure of Feldman’s single “What’s Up With the Youth” and broader challenges Feldman has faced in his music career. 

Watching the clip back, it’s clear that Feldman is taking his performance, which certainly can be critiqued in its own right, very seriously, while Stern and the hired performers are there to mock it. It’s sad and also very ‘90s.

Is Stern the whole reason — or even the main reason — that Feldman’s life and career turned out the way that it did? Absolutely not. But do I get a little sad thinking about a clearly misguided 19-year-old Feldman performing in earnest to an audience only wanting to laugh at him? Yeah, of course.