Post Malone on Befriending Taylor Swift, Losing a Bet to Travis Kelce, and How Hot Sauce Helped Him Shed Over 20 Pounds

Rock, rap, and pop superstar Post Malone returned to the Stern Show on Tuesday, following the release of his brand-new album “Austin.” The 28-year-old recording artist, who has eight diamond certified songs to his name and two diamond crowns in his mouth, spoke to Howard about everything from his unwavering support of Bud Light to his burgeoning friendship with fellow music icon Taylor Swift. He also discussed his multi-million dollar Magic: The Gathering card, shared several stories about stage injuries and face tattoos, and even performed a couple of songs for Howard and his listeners live in the Stern Show studios.

Before diving into the interview, however, Howard complimented the “Better Now” singer on his lean new look. Post told him the secret to his success didn’t involve Ozempic or any drastic medical procedures—he’d simply started making healthier decisions on the road.

“On tour, I stopped eating a lot of fried stuff [and] pizza,” he told Howard, explaining the feat was trickier than it sounded as most towns didn’t have healthy restaurants open at 2 a.m. when he was hungry and had just finished up his set.

Even so, he was committed to eating nutritiously. “I was like, ‘You know what? I’m going to eat grilled chicken, I’m going to eat carrots, and I’m going to have a little bit of white rice with … hot sauce,” he continued, telling Howard he was blown away upon learning the spicy condiment was so diet friendly. “I was like … ‘Hot sauce has no calories in it? This shit is sick.’”

The lifestyle changes quickly made an impact. “I lost 20 pounds doing that, and I was like let’s keep going. Let’s keep building,” he concluded. “And we just kept fucking rocking and rolling.”

Look What Travis Kelce Made Him Do

No couple on the planet is more popular right now than Taylor Swift and her new football-catching boyfriend Travis Kelce. While only time can tell whether their love is built to last, Post told Howard he once had a run-in with the Kansas City Chiefs star receiver that he would never, ever—like ever—be able to shake off.

Post recalled challenging Kelce, whom he described as “the sweetest dude,” and his quarterback Patrick Mahomes to a high-stakes game of beer pong. Posty lost.

“What was the penalty?” Howard asked.

“I had to get a Kansas City Chiefs tattoo,” Post lamented. “It’s on my arm.”

Despite being a legendary beer drinker and beer pong aficionado, losing to Mahomes and Kelce didn’t embarrass him. “They’re athletes!” Post exclaimed before later conceding fatherhood had weakened his game. “It did affect my beer pong skills. It automatically takes two points off,” he laughed.

Speaking of Swift, Post revealed he and the “Anti-Hero” singer recently spent some time together. “She is genuinely one of the most kind and considerate [people] … and a fucking hell of a songwriter. Holy shit. Amazing.”

While hanging out with Taylor, the topic of his beer pong loss to her now-boyfriend came up in conversation. “I told Taylor, ‘Those elbows were crazy … You can’t have elbows crossing over the table,’” Post recalled with a laugh. “So, I’d like a rematch. I’d like to say here, on the Howard Stern Show: Travis Kelce, Patrick Mahomes—I am so ready.”

All About That Face

Several of Post Malone’s estimated six dozen tattoos are on his face — a canvas he’s admired ever since seeing Godsmack singer Sully Erna’s facial art. “I’ve always loved a good face tattoo,” he told Howard before revealing the circumstances around the first face piece he got when he was just 19. “I was hammered drunk, and I was like, ‘I really need a face tattoo like right now.’”

For anyone at home thinking about face ink, Post had some words of advice. “It’s always bigger than you think,” he said. “But you just kind of let it rock … It’s already too late, so you’ve gotta be like, ‘That’s just the way it is.’”

Pulling Hamstrings and Cracking Ribs on Stage

Post Malone concerts generally focus more on performance than theatrics, but just because he doesn’t descend from the sky like Lady Gaga at the Super Bowl doesn’t mean his live shows can’t still be a little dangerous.

One time, while doing a high kick on stage in South Korea, he pulled his hamstring and glute. “I heard a pop, and I was like ‘Nope,’” he recalled. “I [couldn’t] stand up, so I had to finish the show on the ground.”

Another time, during his most recent tour, he cracked his ribs after falling through a hole in the stage. “If there’s one thing about stages, Howard—they’re very hard,” Post said, explaining the accident occurred after he stepped into a hole meant for an ascending guitar. “The guitar didn’t come up fast enough,” he continued. “I fucking fell right on my ribs, and that sucked. That sucked ass.”

Post went on to finish that show, too, despite sustaining a severe injury. However, he could barely stand up the next day, so he was forced to postpone the next stop on his tour. “But I made it a thing to come back and do the show,” he told Howard. “Everyone works so hard in this fucking life, and you have the option to spend your money on fucking anything, and you paid your hard earned money to come and see me sing some shitty fucking songs, and I want to fucking do the best I fucking can to come and sing these shitty songs to you.”

“That’s my fucking job, and that’s my passion, and that’s what it’s about,” Malone added.

One Card That Rules Them All

When Posty first visited the Stern Show, he spoke of his lavish purchase of an $800,000 Magic: The Gathering card. He’s since bought another single Magic card for $2 million. When a man approached him at a show about purchasing a one-of-a-kind “Lord of the Rings”-themed piece with proceeds going to charity, he couldn’t say no.

“I was like, ‘Fuck it, I’m going to buy this $2 million piece of cardboard,” the singer noted. “It’s cool because it changed his life and it brought me so much joy and it brought the people I play with a lot of joy as well, so it was worth it.”

That’s not to say Post — or his financial advisers — thinks it was a wise business move. “This is the dumbest thing I’ve ever done in my life, but it brings me so much happiness,” he said with a laugh. “Explaining that to my accountants was the fucking craziest thing of all time … there needs to be an accounting firm that just deals in dumb shit.”

‘Them Bones’

It would hardly be a Post Malone concert without a grunge cover, and with this visit to the Stern Show studios the artist — along with his backing band and choir — delivered a heartfelt rendition of the 1992 Alice in Chains hit “Them Bones.”

Howard was blown away by what he heard. “I love this choir with you and the band — it’s a lot of fun to watch,” he told Post before asking the choir to show him how they harmonized on the song’s chorus.

“Beautiful,” Howard concluded after hearing them sing it once more.

‘Landmine’

Before performing an emotional version of the “Austin” track “Landmine,” Post provided Howard some context. “I wrote this song about being on the verge of like a mental breakdown to where you just want to go into the woods and just fucking get the fuck away from everyone and never talk to anyone ever again,” he explained. “[I’m] trying to navigate my way through a landmine, which is too much shit, depression and all this fucking shit, and then whenever you thumb your way out, you’re in the clear.”

Once the song was over, Howard and co-host Robin Quivers were clearly moved. “That brought tears to my eyes,” Robin confessed.

Post Malone’s new album “Austin” is available now.