aka Baba Booey
Heard on The Howard Stern Show exclusively on Howard 100 & 101 on Sirius Satellite Radio M-F 6am-11am
The following spot is an example of a recorded or live read by a personality. It does not
necessarily mean that the commercial was produced for or by a RadioAcive Media Client.
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Gary is the producer of The Howard Stern Show and co-host of The Wrap-Up Show.
Dell’Abate has worked on The Howard Stern Show since September 4, 1984: originally on 66 WNBC, then syndicated at K-Rock in New York, and now Sirius Satellite Radio.
His nickname is Baba Booey (sometimes mis-spelled Ba Ba Booey or other variants) and is frequently used on Stern’s show, as well as sometimes shouted by fans when they call into other radio or television shows (generally to the irritation of other hosts – see below). Most recently, Howard Stern has considered changing his nickname to “Mac Hine,” due to Gary’s mispronunciation of “machine” during an alleged IQ test. Despite the seemingly relentless jokes, pranks and taunts at Dell’Abate’s expense, Stern readily acknowledges Dell’Abate’s intelligence, organizational abilities, excellent memory and strong work ethic.
In 1992, Dell’Abate married his current wife Mary. The couple live in Greenwich, Connecticut with their two sons, Jackson and Lucas. Jackson has now made at least one appearance on Howard 100 News, where he indicated that his father can ski.
After Gary’s brother Steven died of AIDS in January 1991, Dell’Abate became a supporter of LIFEbeat The Music Industry Fights AIDS and serves on the charity’s Board of Directors.
Dell’Abate is mocked on the Stern Show for having large teeth, big lips and bad breath. A related point of ridicule is the speech pattern in which he turns “s” into “f”. Fans also mock Dell’Abate – one fan used to wear a gorilla mask to Gary’s public appearances as well as make his own animation cels featuring Baba Booey. Elliot Offen, a regular Stern Show guest and Wack Packer known for running through the streets of New York in full drag and high heels, often fights with Gary, calling him names such as “scum of the earth”, “chipmunk”, “mongrel”, “mongoloid” and “horse face”. In particular, fellow Stern Show staff member Sal the Stockbroker has routinely mocked and tortured Gary with prank calls, various song parodies, and an infinite number of jokes. Gary was often also forced to wear a bee-keeper’s mask while holding the microphone for Stern show guests.
Gary is also often mocked for his yo-yo dieting. His bouts with weight gain have been attributed to his love of chocolate. He is also an on-again, off-again cigarette smoker.
A fan created a likeness of Gary, the “Gary Puppet”, which is now stationed in the Howard Stern Show studio and equipped with a mechanism to cause its massive mouth to move whenever Gary speaks to Howard through the studio intercom. The puppet seems to be one of Stern’s most prized possessions, possibly due to his fondness for Gary.
