Howard Stern Would Really Like Al Michaels To Open The Super Bowl With A Pro-Vaccine Message

Howard Stern has been a vocal critic of anti-vaxxers, even going so far to call out Meat Loaf‘s family for not pushing people to get vaccinated following the singer reportedly dying of COVID. It’s an issue that Stern has been relentless about, so naturally, the shock jock took a shot at getting the Super Bowl to encourage people to get the jab.

While hosting Al Michaels on a recent episode of his show, Stern asked the veteran sports broadcaster to kick off his Super Bowl broadcast by encouraging the big game’s millions of viewers to get vaccinated. Via Mediaite:

“No one’s there to hear your opinion I get all that — but Al please, when you’re on there and you got 100 million people tell them to get vaccinated for Christ’s sake, you know what I mean” Stern pleaded. “Don’t you ever wish you could just like sort of break out and say what you feel Wouldn’t it be great to advocate a bit”

Unfortunately, Stern’s suggestion fell on deaf ears. Despite the public healthy benefits, Michaels argued that’s not what that audience wants to hear on Sunday night.

“You’re right when people tune in to watch the game, they want to watch the game,” Michaels said while shutting Stern’s suggestion down. He later explained, “The structure of what’s happening in the middle of the game doesn’t allow you to do that. And all that would do is piss a lot of people off if you go in that direction.”