Artie Lange Reportedly Returning to Radio as Sports Talk Host

Comedian Artie Lange, the long-time Howard Stern sidekick who has battled substance abuse issues and survived a suicide attempt, says he’s returning to the radio in September to do “a sports entertainment kind of comedy show” with fellow comedian Nick DiPaolo for Fox Sports Radio.

In a podcast with Joe Matarese, his friend and fellow comedian, Lange said the program might be carried in 250 markets, with the possibility of being aired on television “if it goes well enough.”

He tried to temper expectations, however.

“Nothing’s been signed yet but we’re going to do it.” He added: “This is a bad negotiating tactic, but it’s either this or opening a landscape business for me at this point.”

A representative for Lange said in an email to The New York Times, “We are excited by the overwhelming interest in Nick and Artie. But there is no job to confirm for them at this time.”

Lange said the deaths of friends Mitch Hedberg and Greg Giraldo compelled him to clean up.

“The whole idea of death started to freak me out more than it ever did,” Mr. Lange said. He added: “It just made me want to stick around. It really did.”

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