Howard Stern Said Something So Offensive 31 Years Ago That An Arrest Warrant Was Issued

31 years ago today, Howard Stern made radio remarks that sparked an intense backlash and even a serious legal consequence. The shock jock's comments about the death of the beloved singer Selena were so offensive that an arrest warrant was issued for him, and he later made a formal apology.

Howard Stern's Offensive Remarks That Crossed The Line On April 3 1995

On March 31, 1995, the beloved pop star Selena Quintanilla-Pérez, who went by Selena professionally, was murdered by the former president of her fan club. Just days later, on April 3, 1995, the same day as her funeral, Howard Stern went on his radio show and made a series of remarks that triggered a firestorm of anger.

While talking about her music, Stern called her songs "awful" and then made highly offensive remarks about people in Mexico. “Selena? Her music is awful. I don’t know what Mexicans are into. If you’re going to sing about what’s going on in Mexico, what can you say? You can’t grow crops, you got a cardboard house, your eleven-year-old daughter is a prostitute. This is music to perform abortions to!”

The shock jock went on to further insult Selena's music and targeted Spanish people in general. "Alvin and the Chipmunks have more soul…Spanish people have the worst taste in music. They have no depth."

Many listeners were also furious that Stern referenced how Selena died by playing one of her songs with a gunshot sound effect in the background. He also further mocked the situation by adopting an over-the-top Spanish accent while saying, "three of us ate her fingers, we were so hungry from the bad country we live in."

The Arrest Warrant Issued Against Howard Stern And Why It Was Dropped

In the days that followed that radio broadcast, many listeners were absolutely furious. What happened to the shock jock next added even more drama to the situation. As the New York Times reported at the time, a South Texas judge issued a disorderly conduct arrest warrant for the radio host over the remarks. The outlet quoted Justice of the Peace Eloy Cano explaining his reasoning behind the ruling. "I did it for all the Tejano fans."

Without defending Stern's remarks, Jay Jacobson, executive director for the Texas chapter of the ACLU, told the New York Times that the arrest warrant was unconstitutional. "It fails the First Amendment test. It's a speech that is protected. Being a music critic, no matter how harsh, is not grounds for criminal charges." Ultimately, the arrest warrant was dismissed after free-speech advocates sued.

Howard Stern Issued an Apology

Throughout the 1990s, Howard Stern was at the center of a series of controversies and rarely backed down from comments he made that angered people. In the vast majority of cases, he opted to double down instead. Yet, after several days of pitched anger at his remarks about Selena, the radio host issued a rare on-air apology.

“As you know, I am a satirist. My comments about the tragic death of Selena were certainly not intended to cause any further pain to her family, friends and to those who loved her.”