Artie Lange loves Howard Stern - but he’s not afraid to rattle his former boss’s cage.

The 49-year-old comedian on Wednesday shot back on Twitter after Stern said the lives of his former employees nosedived after they left his radio show, then took aim at Stern’s handpicked chief operating officer Marci Turk.

The situation unfolded as Stern chastised writer Benjy Bronk for allegedly showing up late to work, though longtime fans on Stern-centric online forums such as Radio Gunk, Dawgshed and Reddit suspected that the tongue-lashing regarding Bronk’s tardiness – a topic which has been discussed ad nauseam over the years - was a planned bit for the air.

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Bold words: Howard Stern on Wednesday said of former staffers: ’You ask the people that left the show what their lives are like now, trust me, it ain’t pretty.' His former sidekick Artie Lange then took to Twitter to say his life had 'never been better'

Movers and shakers: Stern on Wednesday acknowledged the roles of his chief operating officer Marci Turk (left) and senior vice president Jeremy Coleman (right), as he said, 'Those two run this entire radio organization'

The King of All Media, in trying to convince Bronk he was taking his job for granted, brought up ex-workers on his long-running program: ’You ask the people that left the show what their lives are like now, trust me, it ain’t pretty ... a lot of them are Goddamn near a nervous breakdown.’

While Lange wasn’t specifically mentioned by name, the remarks come about a week after the comedian questioned the drastic changes Stern’s made personally and professionally in recent years, on both his Artie Quitter podcast and in an expansive interview with longtime Stern radio rival Gregg ‘Opie’ Hughes on Opie Radio.

The Too Fat to Fish author, conversing with fans on Twitter, said he’s ‘never been happier’ nearly seven years after his departure from the program, and that he's fortunate to currently be working with one of Hollywood’s heaviest hitters.

‘As of [right] now I'm on the tour all over the U.S. [with] Judd Apatow & Pete Holmes promoting our HBO series Crashing,’ Lange said.

Moving on: Lange (left) said his career 'has never been better' than the present time, as he's working with Hollywood heavyweight Judd Apatow on Crashing, an HBO series

The New Jersey native noted other positive developments in his career, as he said he’s ‘in a groove’ with his podcast, has a third book due out next summer and is slated to appear on both The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon and Conan in the near-future.

‘My career has never been better,’ Lange said, adding, ‘No money could get me to go back!’

Stern’s right-hand man of nearly 10 years made clear he doesn’t envy any current employees of the SiriusXM program, as he said, ‘Those guys are in Hell! I got off Marci Turk Island!’

Back office bunch: Turk (center) swiftly ascended to the top of Stern's organization after they met via an efficiency program. Here, the exec posed at a 2014 Comic-Con party with longtime Stern soldiers Jason Kaplan (left) and producer Gary 'Baba Booey' Dell'Abate (right)

The Beer League star parted ways with the program in 2009, about four years before Turk swiftly ascended to fill the show’s top backstage position in 2013 after initially crossing paths with Stern over a time-management system called Getting Things Done.

Stern gave Turk an emotional endorsement at his January 31, 2014 birthday show in front of a star-studded audience that included Barbara Walters, David Letterman and Robert Downey Jr.

‘Marci Turk, you are an inspiration to me every single day, you changed my life, thank you!’ Stern told the crowd, resulting in ‘this weird, confused applause’ Lange said on his podcast last year.

Strong endorsement: Stern, flanked by his wife Beth, told Turk, 'You are an inspiration to me every single day' and 'You changed my life' in front of an A-list audience at his 2014 bash

In command: Turk has been a backstage powerhouse on The Howard Stern Show since 2013

Seven months later, The New York Post named Turk as ‘the woman responsible for Howard Stern’s "PC" behavior’ in a piece that detailed how she has ‘a very strong hand on how the show is handled and how everyone has to “keep Howard’s brand right.”’

Wednesday’s broadcast marked the first time the former America's Got Talent star had acknowledged his COO by name on his morning show, as he said he would leave the decision how to handle Bronk’s continual alleged tardiness to Turk and the show’s senior vice president Jeremy Coleman.

‘I’m just gonna put this in the hands of Marci and Jeremy ... those two run this entire radio organization,’ Stern said. ‘Marci’s like the general manager, COO; Jeremy’s the senior executive/producer type. And they’ll deal with Benjy, the problem is he has too much access to me.’

Shtick king: Stern writer Benjy Bronk's alleged tardiness might have put his job on the SiriusXM show in jeopardy, but Lange offered to 'pay him more' to work on his podcast

The lack of access seemed to hit a nerve with Lange, who tweeted, ‘Imagine asking some ... c--- permission to talk to ur boss.’ (On his podcast last week, Lange said Turk was telling ‘guys who worked with [Stern] for 20 years, “You can't talk to Howard unless you talk to me first, you need permission.”’)

Lange said he’s ‘lent 3 former Stern employees money for rent,’ all of whom were ‘soldiers’ who made the show great, sometimes at their own expense. He added, ‘They need a few bucks. I got it. Would Howard do that? We're still waiting for permission from Marci to ask him.’

Lange took to Twitter Thursday to clarify the situation, as he said that former co-workers from the Stern show sought his help and advice in approaching the wealthy radio host for financial assistance.

Introspective: Comedy veteran Lange is not above a bit of self-deprecation in his act or tweets

Lange said he ‘reluctantly tried but it was hopeless,' and that ‘it sucks so much red tape exists,' adding, '[I'm] not saying Howard turned them down. He probably never even heard about it. But I got frustrated over how complicated it was.'

Lange added that Bronk, a frequent on-air whipping boy of Stern’s, is ’an insanely talented joke writer,' and offered to 'pay him more' than Stern 'to work on [his] podcast’ should the allegations of his repeated tardiness be authentic - and his fate on the show lie in Turk's hands.

In spite of his frustration at the current state of affairs, Lange stressed that he didn’t want to engage Stern in any type of feud, as he said, ‘I will go high. Unless others continue to go low.’

Shot over the bow: Lange pledged to keep a classy demeanor as long as he is treated in kind

The Aristocrats: Lange said his fondness for Stern's wife Beth has kept him from obliging clamoring fans from doing a bit with Gilbert Gottfried on her animal-related work

Lange said that fans have often encouraged him to team up with comedy icon Gilbert Gottfried to lampoon the animal-related efforts of Stern’s wife, Beth, but he refuses to.

‘Fans want Gilbert & I to goof on Beth's Doggy awards! Tape it & destroy it. Be hilarious. I won't. Beth doesn't deserve it,’ he said, adding, ‘She's a Doll!’

Lange wrapped up his remarks in saying that while he has a ‘sad heart’ he won’t be heard alongside Stern again, he cherishes the time he spent alongside the King of All Media.

‘Doin that show was my dream! It came true,’ he said. ‘I hope he knows what he meant to me. & I love him. & I wish he'd of taken my call so I wouldn't sound like a p----y on twitter [right] now! Peace.’

Daily Mail has reached out to Stern's reps for comment.