For those who lingered longer in the hopes that some incarnation of the old Opie/Anthony/Jimmy dynamic would form, the past two days seemed to effectively close the book on that speculation.
Host Gregg "Opie" Hughes of SiriusXM’s Opie with Jimmy Show, what used to be the Opie & Anthony Show, posted a video that updated listeners as to the state of the bi-annual October contract negotiations as the show was currently airing a week of "best of". It's a jarring and tough audio clip to try to listen to but from what can be heard, Hughes explains that he no longer does "morning radio" and implies that co-host/comedian Jim Norton had signed a contract with SiriusXM, albeit not to do a show with Hughes anymore.
Tensions between the two had mounted ever since the firing of former co-host Anthony Cumia in July 2014 due to a Twitter rant. In October that year, both Norton and Hughes resigned, forming the now reportedly defunct Opie with Jimmy Show.
In two separate instances, the hosts clashed and it seemed that the chances of the show continuing beyond the October re-sign date was tenuous at best. Today, in response to Hughes’ video, Norton and former producer/now host of his own show Sam Roberts discussed the video on the Norton & Friends show, confirming Hughes nearly discernible claims.
Norton confirmed that he will no longer do a show with Hughes but did not speak to Hughes’ future. According to both Norton and Roberts, a spin-off of their own is not yet confirmed, but is being discussed. Norton reveals that the two "weren't clicking" and they had different goals with the show. Particularly with Norton wanting to do a morning show and Opie favoring something in the afternoon.
Cumia, who hosts a show of his own on his own network, both created in August 2014, didn’t waste too much time in giving his own thoughts on the situation.
And so, the last remnants of a show fueled by contention, controversy, and ultimately, comedy, are shed and fed to the wind like so many nicknames (Greggshells, Human Garbage, Lil Yimmy). It’ll be interesting to see where the poker chips scatter and the cakes are stomped.