MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow hit a milestone this week with The Rachel Maddow Show hitting 15 years on the air. The program has become the network’s No. 1 show during its time.

There was a gathering inside the Pebble Bar in Manhattan to celebrate with plenty of MSNBC hosts, MSNBC president Rashida Jones, and NBCUniversal News Group Chairman Cesar Conde.

“15 years is really 105 in dog years,” Maddow said jokingly. Additionally, she credited her staff’s “incredible diversity of family life, experience, educational background, and professional life” to the program’s success and longevity. 

“It is only through that uniqueness – which you have to protect with your life – that lets us differentiate ourselves from the pasteurized morass that we swim in every day. You have to be different or you don’t matter. And all of your difference matters.”

Both executives made statements commemorating the milestone, with Conde recognizing many team members who have been a part of the show since its debut in 2008.

Meanwhile, Jones told those in attendance to celebrate the mark, “If you stood in front of or behind Rachel at the whiteboard at some point in your career, you were smarter and you were better for it.”

Even though Maddow holds the No. 1 show for MSNBC, she’s taking on other projects that have ended her time as a daily news show host. Earlier this summer, she launched her latest podcast, Rachel Maddow Presents: Deja News.

SiriusXM host Howard Stern has received pushback from his insistence that being called “woke” is a compliment. Many questioned what happened to the former shock jock legend. Fox News host Sean Hannity and radio host Clay Travis have joined that camp.

“I admire him as a broadcaster. And one of the things that was quintessential Howard is he took criticism, dealt with it head-on, and gave an honest answer. That defines his career. I give him a lot of credit for that,” Hannity said during his Fox News program Wednesday.

“I don’t know what happened. The guy that I felt I listened to would have loved an iconoclastic straightforward, hard-hitting guy like Trump,” Sean Hannity continued. “He would not be hiding in his closet afraid of COVID. That’s not the guy that I thought I knew.”

“He is a radio legend. And you and I both do radio daily, so we understand what that requires. But the Howard Stern today would, as you said, hate — absolutely hate — the Howard Stern of 25 years ago and vice versa,” agreed Travis. “And I think he’s an emblematic example, Sean, of what happens when people got broken by Donald Trump and COVID. The combination of the two of them this guy didn’t leave his house for two and a half years.”

Clay Travis continued by noting Stern has gotten away from what made him famous.

“Howard Stern’s popularity was his rebellion against the status quo. Now he’s become a zealous advocate of the status quo and of authority. He’s become the opposite of what he used to be.”

“He’s being honest,” admitted Sean Hannity. “That I can applaud and appreciate. I do. That has defined him his whole career, but I kinda liked the other guy a lot better.”

Earlier this week, SiriusXM host Howard Stern claimed it was a compliment to be called woke. While Fox News host Jesse Watters disagrees, he did defend Stern from the criticism.

During The Five, Watters argued that he’s been a longtime listener of Stern’s, adding that despite accusations to the contrary, Stern is still not politically correct.

“I listened to his show since the 90s. I like him. I think he’s a funny guy,” said Watters. “(Stern) doesn’t understand what woke is. He’s not woke when it comes to political correctness, when it comes to gender, when it comes to race, when it comes to feminism. He’s not woke when it comes to any of that stuff.”

He added that not being politically correct has led to Stern’s continued success.

“He says ridiculous things that if this was said on this channel or on any other cable channel, he would absolutely get in huge trouble,” continued Watters. “But since he’s on satellite and he’s been very successful on satellite, he can say whatever he wants. He’s not doing the same types of things, but he’s changed his way 30 years older, but he’s still pretty edgy.”

After being accused of being a suck-up to Stern, Watters admitted that he would not be a good guest on the show.

“I would never go on that show. It’s too dangerous,” joked Jesse Watters. “Me on that show? Are you kidding me?”