Howard Stern Inducting Bon Jovi Into Rock Hall

CLEVELAND, OH — Radio legend Howard Stern will induct Bon Jovi into the Rock Hall, the duo announced on Stern's Show. Jon Bon Jovi said no one knows him or the members of the band better than Stern.

“Our careers have paralleled in a lot of ways and whether it was the ups or the downs, we’ve come through everything together,” Jon said on the air. “Nobody knows not only me but the members of the band as well as Howard.”

Jon said the process for picking Stern was a simple one. He initially went through a list of rock stars but none of them felt right. In the end, he felt he only had one choice: Stern.

So he emailed the radio host and asked to see him after his show. Jon wanted to meet at Stern's house. In classic Howard Stern-fashion, he didn't want Bon Jovi coming to his home. Stern asked, "What's it about?"

Bon Jovi wanted to remain coy, replying, "I just need to see you today."

Stern then worried that something was seriously wrong. He called Jon on his cell and asked what was up. Jon said nothing was up, he just needed five minutes of Stern's time. Stern said he was leaving town but Jon could join him at an appointment before he took off. Well, actually, Jon could pull his car next to Stern's car in the parking lot of the appointment.

"It looked like a deal was going down," Jon said on Stern's show, but it was also where the two would finally talk.

And that's when Jon explained that he and the band had gotten into the Rock Hall. Stern was Jon's first choice for handling the induction. Initially, Stern was reluctant, worried that he would muck up an important day for his friend. But Jon would not be deterred, insisting the radio legend take on induction duties. So, Stern agreed.

For his part, Stern said he was honored and thrilled to do the induction. Jon and different members of the band have been frequent guests on Stern's program throughout the decades.

But no story about Howard Stern should be free of controversy. Before the story of Stern accepting induction duties ended, he said repeatedly that one of the biggest drawbacks to being at the ceremony was that it was being held in Cleveland.

"I don't want to go to Cleveland," he said, joking that he nearly called Jon and told him he'd have to get someone else when he found out where the ceremony was beind held. His wife intervened and convinced him that going to Cleveland and taking part in the ceremony would be fun.

The induction ceremony will be held at Public Auditorium on April 14, 2018.

AP Photo/Kathy Willens