What Would 'American Idol' Be Like With Howard Stern?

Feb. 10, 2010— -- Simon Cowell may have a reputation as "Mr. Nasty," but "American Idol" fans - and contestants - won't know what hit them if shock jock Howard Stern takes his place.

Cowell is leaving the popular talent show at the end of the current season.just as new judge Ellen DeGeneres joins as a judge. DeGeneres made a reference to that fact last night when she made her debut during Hollywood week on "Idol." Turning to Cowell, she said, "I come on, you leave." It was the only small flash of potential conflict between the two judges many had long been waiting to see how they would get along.

As expected, DeGeneres brought humor to her sometimes blunt critiques of the contestants. DeGeneres has promised to judge from the perspective of a longtime fan of the show.

It's less clear how Stern would judge if he were to be named Cowell's replacement. Stern was rumored as a possible replacement by the New York Post last week, and earlier this week, he told his satellite radio listeners that he would consider taking the job.

"There's not a better job on the planet than judging that f---ing karaoke contest," he said, paying the show a backhanded compliment on his Sirius radio show Monday.

But industry watchers say it's not even clear whether Fox has actually reached out to the radio shock jock. Michael Slezak, a senior writer for Entertainment Weekly, told ABCNews.com that his show sources say the search process for Cowell's replacement has only just begun and that there are likely to be many names floated in the coming months.

Whether Stern has thrown his name in the hat or Fox has reached out to him, many have thoughts on the kind of judge Stern would be.

"I feel like there's not enough delay on a live show to handle Howard Stern," Melinda Doolittle, who finished third on the sixth season of "Idol," told ABCNews.com.

"The thing about Simon, even though he was biting, at least you could respect him for his position in the business," Doolittle said. "I don't even know what Howard Stern would say about the music. I'm assuming he would be more a person to critique how contestants look."

"I think his main goal would be to bring contestants down," Ayla Brown told ABCNews.com. Daughter of new Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown, she placed in the top 16 of the show's fifth season.

"I don't think he has much credibility," she said. "Contestants wouldn't take him seriously."

"He can be very brutal, especially to women who don't fit that very extreme measure of perfect, which, to him, is skinny with big boobs," MJ Santilli, who writes MJ's Big Blog about the show, told ABCNews.com. "If he were to bring that kind of attitude to 'Idol' it just wouldn't work."

Slezak of Entertainment Weekly said Stern's comments about women especially "fly in the face" of what the show is about.

"America has repeatedly rejected that idea of what record labels want to feed us…a sexy Britney Spears-type singer," Slezak told ABCNews.com.

Not everyone thinks Stern would be a bad fit for "Idol."

Howard Stern on Idol?

"I don't think he's as likable as Simon is to the average person," said Ju'Not Joyner, one of last season's contestants. "Howard is way more carnal. He might scare some parents. Personally, I like Howard, though. He certainly would be fun to watch."

Still not sure what "American Idol" would be like with Howard Stern in the judge's chair? To get some idea, ABCNews.com took at look at some of the outrageous things Stern has said and done on his show in the past and how that might translate to "Idol."

Lesbian Dial-a-Date

Stern doesn't have any problems slurring gays. On Monday, he said that he would have given Clay Aiken an usher's uniform because "you seem like a queen who would hang around in a theater."

But Stern does have a soft spot for lesbians. In the Lesbian Dial-a-Date game on his show, he helps a woman looking for a sexual encounter with another woman find a date by having other women call in to be evaluated.

"Idol" hasn't had an openly lesbian contestant, but it's easy to imagine Stern suggesting that a couple of the cuter female contestants go on a "date," taking him along, of course.

Stern's love for lesbians doesn't seem to extend to new judge Ellen DeGeneres, though. On Monday he said he was going to get a taser and "tase Ellen DeGeneres. Go on, Ellen, why don't you do that dumb dance you do on your show?"

Guess Who's the Jew

In another game on his radio show, Stern has people guess from a list of several celebrities or studio guests which one is Jewish.

Whether or not Stern, who is Jewish, brings this game to "Idol," he has said his presence on the show would likely trigger an exodus, like "the Jews running out of Egypt."

"You'll find Ryan Seacrest with matzo on his back. I'd get rid of him," he said Monday. "Let's get a hot chick to host that thing. I have better chemistry with hot chicks."

The Sybian Ride

Shortly after Stern debuted on Sirius, he was given this vibrating device and has encouraged his female guests to take a "ride" on it.

Past riders include Jenna Jameson, Carmen Electra and Jenny McCarthy.

Porn stars, strippers and sex are a big part of Stern's radio show. He'd have to tone it way down for "Idol," but that would likely not stop him from commenting on the appearance of female contestants.

He vowed Monday to make the show a cross between "American Idol" and "The Biggest Loser."

"I'm going to be frank with these people: 'You're fat,'" he said. "How many fat pop stars do you see?"

Stern claims he would have told Carrie Underwood to lose weight and would have sent season three winner Fantasia Barrino packing with a McDonald's uniform and some advice: "(Little boys) want a Britney Spears or a Rihanna. Little boys are scared that you are going to sit on them. You're out. Honey, you look like you stepped out of a Haitian earthquake. You've got to go clean up your act."

The guys wouldn't be safe from his criticism, either. Stern railed against season five winner Taylor Hicks' grey hair.

"I'd say to him, 'How many times have you been laid in your life? Come back and see with your hair dyed, then I'll listen to you,'" he said.