Howard Stern To Replace Simon Cowell?

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Radio personality Howard Stern just might be the new Simon Cowell.

According to reports, producers of American Idol are trying to negotiate a deal with Stern in hopes that he'll take over the judging role.

He currently makes $100 million for his exclusive Sirius XM Radio deal that expires next January.

A source connected to "Idol" told the NY Post, "It's one of the few shows that could compete with Stern's $100 million-a-year Sirius contract, and Idol bosses think he'd be even nastier than Simon."

But a second source told them that Stern hasn't made the "Idol" talks easy, and has been giving out mixed messages about his intentions.

"Despite what he's been saying on-air, Howard isn't ready to leave radio and would like to stay on at Sirius," the source said. "We believe this is a ploy to make Sirius pay up and keep him on his huge contract. But if Sirius can't pay him the money he wants, he may negotiate to film Idol on the side."