It’s April, 2011, and the thought of Lindsay Lohan “bouncing back” into the great career she once had is hard to imagine. In fact, with all the constant media coverage -- her stints in rehab, arrests, dysfunctional family -- most Lohan defenders have abandoned hope.
But maybe Howard Stern hasn't.
On his April 4th Sirius/XM radio show, Stern conveyed an extremely touching and insightful commentary of Lohan. Talking to co-host Robin Quivers and guest George Takei, Stern recounted sitting behind Lohan at a screening of Jake Gyllenhaal’s “Source Code” this past weekend. Stern had an interesting vantage point of Lohan -- both literally and figuretively -- and as he described his observations, he seemed genuinely emotional.
Remember that as the father of three daughters, Stern's seen all of Lohan's films and has always praised her talent. It's also because of her talent that Stern's used his airwaves to express his frustration over Lohan's "throwing it all away."
But after sitting behind her and watching Lohan watch a film -- a film she could have been in, he added -- Stern expressed a unique sympathy for the actress. Here's what was said:
Howard: I was at one of the screenings for the Cinema Society of “Source Code,” and who’s sitting right in front of me but Lindsay Lohan.
Robin: I heard she was in town.
But I was looking at the back of her head, and her…shoulders and everything. And at first I thought, ‘Boy, she’s a really tiny girl,’ you know? And I thought, ‘Man, she’s like, a human being,' you know? I mean, I’m used to seeing Lindsay Lohan on the screen, or in the paparazzi pictures. But I’m looking at her, and she's just a tiny little girl. And she has these tiny little freckles all over her shoulders. And I’m sitting there noticing all this and it made me wonder what she was thinking right then? And her hair dye job was really bad – like you could see the roots all coming through and everything and I actually felt like, sorry for her.
I felt a sense of pity for her. Because she’s so fucked up right now – with this shoplifting charge, and she’s in trouble with drugs. I mean, here’s a girl who’s just floundering. And like, she’s sitting there, watching Jake Gyllenhaal be in a movie? She could have been in the movie! She had the ultimate movie career.
Robin: Right! She used to be in these movies, but now she’s just watching them.
Howard: She was in that rare “tight air.” I mean, how many people get to star in movies? I mean, it’s a tough business!
Robin: Yes! And she was one of those kids who seemed to be able to able to make a transition.
Howard: Yes, and she just fucking pissed it away, and I’m sitting there [watching her] and wondering what it must be like for her to be sitting there, watching this great movie, and watching the woman in the movie. So I just sat there, watching Lindsay Lohan just staring at that screen, and man! Lindsay Lohan. Watching these other actors. And she could have had it all. I mean, she got handed a gift from God.
(Post your opinion in the Comments section below)
Read More Howard Stern:
Howard Stern is amazing. I heard him talk about this on the air and he was upset about it. It was cute to hear him talk about her like he cared so much. I hope Lohan can get her act together.
Posted by: Bill Cleary | 04/05/2011 at 02:50 PM
I've been listening to Stern for 10 years and when it comes to humanity, he's got it in droves. I've never seen a Lindsay Lohan movie, but he does seem to talk about her a lot. Sometimes she bashes her, but he's always seemed to go out of his way to defend her. It's like he likes her so much as an actress, it kills him to see her mess up all the time. I heard him talk about this yesterday and he seemed to get choked up over it. Nice story.
Posted by: JasonBell | 04/05/2011 at 02:54 PM
What a cute story! Howard acts like he's such a bad guy, but he is so sensitive, especially when it comes to girls. I hope Lindsay reads this and realizes that the King of all media is on her side.
Posted by: Jerseyboy99 | 04/05/2011 at 03:23 PM
wow, that's a great perspective. i'm not a big lindsey lohan fan but you have to remember she really is just a kid, and a pretty effed up one at that, thanks to that crazy family. funny world where howard stern would be the one to look at her in a more "daughter-ly" way than her own father.
glad i found your blog -- missed howard last week so didn't hear this.
Posted by: chris whitney | 04/05/2011 at 03:25 PM
Jenny Stewart, it's great to see you still writing about Howard Stern! I followed your stuff on Gay.com. I don't have Sirius XM anymore, so I don't listen to Howard anymore. But this is a great story and it makes me miss him. He's such a great guy and it doesn't surprise me at all that he had this kind of reaction. Thanks for writing this and keeping me in the Stern loop!
Posted by: Caroline Schend | 04/05/2011 at 03:30 PM
Excellent posting, I really enjoyed this. I always hear Howard ragging on Lindsay Lohan, like how old she looks, etc., so it was nice to hear him saying something nice about her again. I agree that he's a big fan of hers. I missed the show yesterday so thank u for posting this.
Posted by: KatherineinNY | 04/05/2011 at 04:11 PM
I HOPE LINDSAY LOHAN HEARS ABOUT THIS OR READS THIS BECAUSE THE POOR GIRL COULD USE A BOOST ABOUT NOW. HERE'S HOPING SHE PULLS IT TOGETHER. ROCK ON, HOWARD STERN!
Posted by: GREGORY SANCHEZ | 04/05/2011 at 04:13 PM
I used to hate Howard Stern until about 5 years ago, when my roommate forced me to listen. Now I'm addicted and listen to the replay of his show everyday when I get home from work.
I'm glad this was written, because I heard it last night and I was touched by his words on so many levels. For one thing, he was talking about Lindsay almost like he was talking about how he'd feel if she were his daughter. I wish the audio of his commentary was included, because you could really hear in his voice how concerned he was by seeing her there, it's much more touching to hear it. But the transcript does sort of capture it I think.
All in all, this was just another brilliant few moments from the master of dialogue! I would beg anyone who doesn't listen to Howard to tune in, you won't regret it.
Margaret
Posted by: maggiedutch | 04/05/2011 at 04:19 PM
I listened to that yesterday morning and thought what he said was wonderful. It was nice to hear someone of his stature in the media world give her positive feedback in a unique/heartfelt way. It really hit me the way he kept mentioning the freckles on her back, and how it took tiny details like that to come to her defense. Nice words.
Posted by: Patty in Philly | 04/05/2011 at 05:38 PM
This is a wonderful article and I love Howard Stern. The best part of this is how he described how small she was, and that by noticing her tininess, he realized she was a "human being." Personally, I can't stand Lindsay Lohan and am sick to death of her, but what howard said about her here made me want to root for her. I mean, does she deserve all the shit she's going through? Absolutely. But howard is right. She is a human being after all.
Posted by: steve_dunn | 04/05/2011 at 05:41 PM