# In 1997, Howard Stern played himself in ‘Private Parts’. But, somehow, he was almost replaced by Jeff Goldblum

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/in-1997-howard-stern-played-himself-in-private-parts-but-somehow-he-was-almost-replaced-by-jeff-goldblum/
- Published: 2026-11-11T23:30:00+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-12T00:36:03+00:00
- Original publisher: Far Out
- Original article: https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/1997-jeff-goldblum-almost-played-howard-stern-private-parts/
- Topics: Music

## Key points

- Jeff Goldblum was considered to play Howard Stern.
- Stern rejected six early screenplay drafts.
- Ivan Reitman helped reshape the film’s script.

## Summary

Howard Stern’s 1997 film *Private Parts* nearly cast Jeff Goldblum as Stern after the radio host rejected six screenplay drafts. The dispute centred on scripts that Stern felt turned his life into cartoonish comedy, rather than showing the more revealing mix of his off-air personality and provocative radio career.

Stern said the suggestion that Goldblum replace him felt insulting, and argued that audiences would not accept “The Fly as Howard Stern”. Director Ivan Reitman helped persuade the producers to focus on the interest of Stern’s real life; after joining as a producer, he helped reshape the screenplay. Stern then pushed through another 24 drafts before the film, directed by Betty Thomas, was released in February 1997.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.