I've been a fan of the Howard Stern Show for a long time. And, while I was skeptical at first, Artie Lange as the replacement for Jackie "The Jokeman" Martling as the funny sidekick on the show grew on me. And, as any regular listener of the show knows, it's the stories from the personal lives of the crew that are the most interesting and entertaining.

Artie has battled demons in the past. Admissions to such things as heroin use, a penchant for prostitutes, and gambling have all rolled out of Artie's mouth since 2001 when he took over the "Jackie Chair." And we the listeners kept on laughing, happy that he'd include us in such personal revelations.

Today, it would seem that Artie had enough. (The following text is quoted from an article in Newsday)

Lange began to express his disdain for his assistant of nearly two years because of recent money issues. Teddy retorted by implying there's more to the job than meets the eye....

As the argument continued, Lange became enraged and physically lashed out at Teddy, but the physical confrontation was apparently defused by other members in the studio....

Stern then expressed his feelings on the situation, saying he cannot condone Lange's actions. The comedian, who has had a similar outburst on the air in the past, said he cannot guarantee he can refrain from acting out in the future. Upon hearing that, Stern said he cannot have Lange around with the potential of such actions looming.

Artie then offered his resignation; Stern accepted, but told Lange to leave and cool off. Just before Lange left he told Stern: "I'm not a good person ... I gotta leave ... I love you"

Here's hoping that cooler heads will prevail and we'll see Artie back on the show in two weeks. (The show does not tape on Fridays and is on hiatus next week)

For more information, see the amazingly detailed and thorough show synopsis from Marksfriggin.