Howard Stern Calls Leno "Spineless Maggot," Gets Heat from NBC

Howard Stern vs. Jay Leno

Howard Stern Under Fire for Slamming Jay Leno 'Tonight Show' Layoffs

Howard Stern continues to stir the pot -- and is getting plenty of heat for it.

Following a comment Stern made about Jay Leno, an NBC executive threatened the shock jock and America's Got Talent judge.

Stern has a long history of bashing Leno, so his comment and the reaction from the network are none too surprising.

Last week, Stern noted on his SiriusXM radio show that he received a "threatening kind of comment" from an NBC rep after Stern called Leno a "spineless maggot."

Stern bashed on Leno last week, after news broke that Leno took a pay cut to save his staff's jobs, but that 20 Tonight Show employees were laid off.

Read: 'Tonight Show' Lays Off 20, Jay Leno Takes Pay Cut

Stern's opinion about Leno, as usual, was harsh, as he said, "It's a smokescreen ... Here's what it really means, and you can take this to the bank: Jay Leno is a scumbag. That's what that means. He's a spineless maggot. Jay wanted to cut staff. He's embarrassed to do it. He didn't want to come off as a bad guy."

He added, "NBC took the hit for him, because they're a corporation."

Of course, Stern didn't take the NBC threat too seriously, explaining, "I was laughing ... I said, 'Do not tell me to not talk about Jay Leno. I will f---ing talk about Jay Leno for four hours if you tell me not to."

He added, "Take my job away from me -- who cares? I will never, ever, ever endorse Jay."

Read: Parents Television Council vs. Howard Stern

In the end, Stern is happy with his job and the opportunity at NBC, saying, "I love my job on AGT, I love working for the people at NBC, they've been nothing but wonderful."

He added, "But please don't tell me what to say. I'd rather leave than not talk about Jay Leno."