The U.S. backlash against radio shock jocks has hit satellite radio, with notorious hosts Opie and Anthony the latest to be punished for an on-air incident.

Anthony Cumia, left, and Opie, whose real name is Gregg Hughes, have complained about what they see as excessive reactions to commentary by U.S. radio hosts.
(Diane Bondareff/Associated Press)

On Tuesday, XM Satellite Radio issued a 30-day suspension to the bad-boy radio duo — one week after they broadcast a segment featuring sexual comments about the Queen, Laura Bush and Condoleezza Rice, and a day after they again joked about the incident on air.

Unlike traditional radio, content on satellite radio is not subject to regulation by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission. Still, XM has condemned the hosts' remarks.

"Comments made by Opie and Anthony on yesterday's [May 9] broadcast put into question whether they appreciate the seriousness of the matter," XM officials said in a statement on Tuesday.

"The management of XM Radio decided to suspend Opie and Anthony to make clear that our on-air talent must take seriously the responsibility that creative freedom requires of them."

Opie and Anthony, whose real names are Gregg Hughes and Anthony Cumia, had apologized last week for the segment in question, in which a man they dubbed Homeless Charlie offered vulgar commentary about wanting to have sex with the Queen, Bush and Rice.

Since Don Imus was fired for his infamous comment about the Rutgers University women's basketball team in April, there has been heightened sensitivity over radio content by so-called shock jocks.
(Richard Drew/Associated Press)

However, on their show Monday, Opie and Anthony criticized what they saw as the public's excessive reactions to comments by radio hosts in the aftermath of the Don Imus affair.

The two expressed sympathy for Imus, who was let go from his New York radio show gig after making what were viewed as racist and sexist comments about the Rutgers women's university basketball team. They also said Imus's long career is now "gone, just because he was trying to entertain people."

Opie and Anthony have previously courted controversy. They were fired from traditional radio in 2004 after featuring a live broadcast in which two guests were allegedly having sex in a New York cathedral.

In addition to being hosts on XM, the pair helm a tamer, syndicated radio show on traditional broadcaster CBS Radio, which said the pair will remain on air as scheduled.

On Monday, media reports said CBS fired two other New York shock-jock hosts and cancelled their show. Jeff Vandergrift and Dan Lay had previously been suspended for staging an on-air prank that included slurs against Asians, and airing it twice on their program The Dog House with JV and Elvis.

With files from the Associated Press