The closet door swings open again on "The Howard Stern Show"

Mike Morales, Howard Stern

Shock jock Howard Stern is infamous for his own brand of lowbrow entertainment, but he's also become a surprisingly strong gay supporter.

He helped George Takei begin his late-in-life career as everyone's favorite eccentric gay uncle, even throwing him a bachelor party (in typical Stern fashion), and George's many appearances on the Stern show are always fun and occasionally enlightening.

Last year, Stern regular Joey Boots came out on the air, and while jokes were made, Howard told him it was a "heroic thing to do."

The closet door has swung open again, as Stern news producer (and on-air regular) "High Pitch" Mike Morales has publicly come out on the show:

Howard told Mike he was very brave ("I'm very proud of you and happy for you.") and asked if Mike had ever been with any guys. Mike said he had: "My mom will listen to this...I don't want to get too explicit." Mike said he first knew he was gay in sixth grade and didn't act on his desires until college: "I haven't been dating actively." Howard asked if Mike felt different, and Mike said he just hoped his coming out could help other people.

There will no doubt be jokes made at his expense in the future (it wouldn't be The Howard Stern Show without them), but it's obvious that Mike has a lot of support from Howard:

Howard then predicted that Mike's voice would eventually become lower, as high-pitched voices are usually the result of stress – and Mike has freed himself from its grasp. Mike welcomed the idea: "I hope you're right."

For someone who's made a career out of lewdness, crudeness, and shock, who would have thought Howard Stern would turn out out be such a gay ally?