Aubrey Plaza’s debut on The Howard Stern Show was dubbed one of the ‘top five worst of all time,’ with insiders claiming Stern ‘loathed’ every minute – before taking a subtle swipe at the actress after their interview wrapped.
Plaza, 40, was promoting her upcoming film Megalopolis, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, on Stern’s self-titled Sirius XM show on Wednesday, but tensions started to build before the interview had even started.
Stern, 70, allegedly felt like he was ‘pulling teeth’ with the Parks and Recreation star who he accused of being late, before questioning if she needed therapy.
‘Howard was beyond excited to talk to Aubrey and it just didn’t work out, she didn’t answer anything and it was like pulling teeth for Howard to get anything out of her,’ a source told the DailyMail.com exclusively.
‘Howard is one of the best in the business and he couldn’t crack the code with Aubrey.’
Aubrey Plaza, 40, made her debut on The Howard Stern Show on Wednesday with listeners declaring the interview ‘one of the top five worst of all time’
According to a source, Stern, 70, found the interview with the Parks and Recreation star difficult from the beginning, and even took a sneaky swipe at her attitude after they wrapped
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The source claimed the Grumpy Cat actress ‘wasn’t playing ball’ with Stern’s questions, and that ‘back in the day, he would have ripped into her and ended the interview.’
‘But he continued to try to make something out of nothing, unfortunately nothing prevailed,’ they added.
The radio personality took a ‘hidden shot’ at Plaza, which many listeners may not have picked up on, when he discussed the band Bad Company after their chat had finished.
‘After Aubrey’s interview, the show came back and was playing Bad Company and Howard talked about the band, but it was done as a hidden shot towards Aubrey, as she was bad company on the show,’ the insider said.
‘She just didn’t vibe with Howard, the show or anything. It was just a complete disaster.’
‘The chances of Aubrey ever returning to the show are worse than slim and none,’ they added. ‘She was not good at all, and he loathed how it all turned out.’
Plaza’s interview got off to a rough start after Stern called her out for being late – to which she replied she had to ‘crutch her old a**’ in’ to the New York City studio, due to an ACL injury she sustained during a WNBA All-Star Game weekend in July.
‘Is that why you’re upset?’ he baited. ‘What’s going on with you? Are you upset? What are you upset about? Something’s going on with you, talk to me.’
‘Howard is one of the best in the business and he couldn’t crack the code with Aubrey,’ a source said
Fans couldn’t help but comment on the uncomfortable conversation, taking to the Howard Stern subreddit to share their thoughts
‘It wasn’t her it was Howard,’ one user commented. ‘She needs someone to play off of like Conan or Fallon. Howard thinks his show is 60 Minutes now.’
‘Yeah she seems so f*****g bored. This format isn’t for everyone. I like her, but this ain’t it,’ another chimed in.
‘Anyone who expected this to go any differently doesn’t know who Aubrey Plaza is. Her entire thing is being that quirky awkward hot girl. Every interview she’s ever given has been awkward and stand off-ish,’ argued another.
Others claimed Plaza seemed annoyed at being in the studio while Stern did the interview by Zoom.
Plaza, pictured as Harper in The White Lotus, is known for her dead pan humor
‘Well, she did make the comment about seeing a little screen with his little head on it. I mean, if he’s not going to put in the effort, he gets what he gets,’ one pointed out.
‘Howard not being in the studio is such an F U to Sirius and his guests. Time to retire,’ agreed another.
While the White Lotus actress, who is known for her dead pan humor, may not have won over Stern in the interview, she won hearts in a Hot Ones Versus interview with Patti LuPone which was released on Tuesday.
When Plaza asked what it felt like to taste the wing, LuPone just shrugged as Plaza joked that she’s, ‘dead inside,’ and LuPone took a swig of beer.